Community road schemes funding
Deputy Scanlon sought increased funding for community involvement and local improvement schemes in Sligo-Leitrim and south Donegal, citing long waiting lists and limited completions. The Tánaiste strongly supported the schemes, describing them as high-value spending, and acknowledged the need for further progress.
I want to draw the Tánaiste’s attention to the urgent and growing need for increased funding for the community involvement scheme and the local improvement scheme, particularly in Sligo-Leitrim and south Donegal. I am sure he is very much aware of this need. The programmes are vital for rural connectivity and safety, yet they remain significantly under-resourced. In 2025, Sligo County Council received €473,000 under the schemes. This allocation allowed for 13 roads to be completed. Meanwhile, 103 additional schemes remain on the waiting list, affecting communities that have been waiting year after year for essential upgrades. The estimated cost of addressing this backlog now exceeds €5 million. This figure continues to rise and roads continue to deteriorate.
To make meaningful progress to ensure rural communities will not be left behind, at least €2 million will be required annually over the coming years. Without investment at this level, the backlog will persist indefinitely and the gap between need and delivery will only widen. I strongly appeal to the Department to increase the funding for the local improvement and community involvement schemes in Sligo-Leitrim and south Donegal so essential local infrastructure can be upgraded for the communities that both need it and that have waited for far too long. These people pay the same taxes as everyone else in the country and deserve the same treatment as everyone else.
Comment on this
I am very sympathetic to and supportive of the point Deputy Scanlon made. The relevant Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and I were just discussing the fact that the money spent on the schemes represents some of the best value achieved by the State in its expenditure. There is no waste or messing around, and the return on investment is good, real, meaningful, tangible and pretty immediate.
I am proud of the work we have done together over the past while. It has seen progress. In this regard, the Deputy has talked about the projects delivered in his own constituency. However, he made the point that for each success, many projects need to be delivered. I will engage with the relevant Departments to determine what more we can do to support the schemes, which really help communities, particularly rural ones.