asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware that Galway County Council have had to abandon the maintenance of some county roads in the Galway Gaeltacht due to lack of funds and the action he proposes to take to have these roads improved to ensure that normal traffic can continue to use the roads and avoid the extreme hardship at present being caused to local residents.

23.

asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware of the deplorable state of many county roads in County Galway; if he will agree that the financial allocation for maintenance of the county roads in Galway taking inflation into account is 45.9 per cent of the 1977 allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 23 together.

I am so aware.

Responsibility for the maintenance and improvement of county roads in County Galway rests with Galway County Council. The overall road grant allocated by my Department to the council in 1984 at £4.19 million represented an increase of 26 per cent on the grant of £3.33 million paid to the council in 1982 and an increase of 352 per cent on the grant of £0.928 million paid to the council in 1977. The council may, at their discretion, apply the block grant to the improvement of county roads. The council's block grant this year amounts to £812,000 compared to £733,000 in 1982 and £400,000 in 1977. State road grants were never payable in respect of the maintenance of county roads.

The provision made by the council for financing road works from their own resources, including the rate support grant, amounts to £1.55 million in 1984 compared with £1.74 million in 1982 and £1.38 million in 1977. The council's provision for 1984 reflects the fact that the charges for services and the increases in the levels of rates in 1983 and in 1984 applicable to Galway County Council are less than the corresponding typical figures for other areas.

24.