113. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Transport to engage with Louth County Council and allocate the necessary funding required to repair the 81 road locations in Louth, damaged by storm Chandra, with an estimated overall reinstatement requirement of approximately €3.681 million, of which Louth County Council have allocated €750 thousand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49915/26]

My Department has liaised with those local authorities most affected by Storm Chandra on the damage caused to their regional and local roads and the remediation needed. The next steps in this regard are being considered in conjunction with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. I hope to be in a position to make a further announcement on this matter shortly.

In accordance with Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993, as amended, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority. Work on such roads is funded from Councils' own resources, supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of work to be funded is a matter for local authorities.

For 2026, €718 million was allocated by my Department, under the Regional and Local Roads Grant Programme, for improvement and maintenance work, with approximately 90% of this funding allocated to road maintenance and renewal. This will facilitate an increase in funding of €26 million this year for road protection and renewal work.

In February, Louth County Council was allocated €10,810,650, with €10,040,650 of this allocated for the protection and renewal of Louth's regional and local roads.

Funding under this programme is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources. Each local authority is also advised to set aside a contingency from Department allocations and its own resources for severe weather events. As the statutory road authorities for their areas, it is also open to local authorities to prioritise investment on regional and local roads.