Mattie McGrath urges more funding for scheme aiding disconnected households
Mattie McGrath appealed for increased funding for a scheme addressing connectivity and drainage issues, welcomed a relaxation allowing single-householder applications, and warned of cost discrepancies between counties. He stressed the importance of keeping isolated households connected to public roads and urged the minister for additional resources while councils process outstanding lists.
He welcomed the relaxation of the application rules to allow one householder to apply, saying this is crucial for the connectivity of people in isolated homes and small boardings to public roads. He described those residents as "the little people" who benefit from targeted local measures and reiterated an appeal for more funding to support them.
He noted a wide discrepancy in costs from county to county and said drainage and local topography are major factors driving those differences. He highlighted that councils’ local knowledge informs which locations are prioritised for works and that these on-the-ground factors affect applications and expenditure.
He warned that temporary council applications are not being accepted at present because councils are "just dealing with the 24 list," suggesting funding constraints may be limiting new intake. He encouraged additional investment so councils can process more applications and address urgent local needs.
The minister responded that the scheme was reintroduced in 2017 and that base funding has increased year on year since 2021, with an additional 10 million euro added last year. The minister said they will monitor capital expenditure across the department, that NIS is a priority, and that they have engaged the minister in the Department of Transport about securing extra funding.
The minister reiterated that councils submit their lists and roles to the department and that local authorities are best placed to identify priorities based on local knowledge. The approach, the minister said, is to leave prioritisation to councils so they can address local needs, including responses to storm and weather events.
Scheme benefits and local impact
He welcomed the relaxation of the application rules to allow one householder to apply, saying this is crucial for the connectivity of people in isolated homes and small boardings to public roads. He described those residents as "the little people" who benefit from targeted local measures and reiterated an appeal for more funding to support them.
Discrepancies, drainage and topography
He noted a wide discrepancy in costs from county to county and said drainage and local topography are major factors driving those differences. He highlighted that councils’ local knowledge informs which locations are prioritised for works and that these on-the-ground factors affect applications and expenditure.
Council processing and application backlog
He warned that temporary council applications are not being accepted at present because councils are "just dealing with the 24 list," suggesting funding constraints may be limiting new intake. He encouraged additional investment so councils can process more applications and address urgent local needs.
Ministerial funding response and oversight
The minister responded that the scheme was reintroduced in 2017 and that base funding has increased year on year since 2021, with an additional 10 million euro added last year. The minister said they will monitor capital expenditure across the department, that NIS is a priority, and that they have engaged the minister in the Department of Transport about securing extra funding.
Councils set priorities
The minister reiterated that councils submit their lists and roles to the department and that local authorities are best placed to identify priorities based on local knowledge. The approach, the minister said, is to leave prioritisation to councils so they can address local needs, including responses to storm and weather events.
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Transcript
Minister, the explanations there are very worthwhile, and the discrepancy and the costs, some counties to others, is quite hilarious, but obviously drainage and topography will mean a lot. But I welcome also the relaxing of the application, you know, by one householder. It's so important because the connectivity of the people in those houses and those little boardings out to the roads, to the public roads, and they're the little people we always talk about. People that we represent, they don't get much by way of anything. So it's a great scheme, and I'd appeal to get more funding in, because applications in temporary council are not being taken now, just dealing with the 24 list. So obviously money is probably a problem, but anything you can do for it will be appreciated. Thanks, Nathan. So, yeah, and we do note the interest in it, but I would point out that the scheme was reintroduced in 2017, after not having their base funding has increased year on year since 2021. Last year, an additional 10 million euro in funding was secured, and I'm going to be a minister, but I'm going to be monitoring capital expenditure across our own department to utilise any savings, and NIS is a priority for us. I've engaged Minister Dara O'Brien in the Department of Transport in relation to getting extra funding, and I would say to Deputy McGeehan, you know, that's a very solid point in relation to storm and weather events, but we have increased the funding since 2021 substantially to address that and to give councils the chance to address that. Ultimately, councils submit their lists, they submit their roles to our department, so it comes from within the council. So, it's a matter with their local knowledge that they can identify what their priorities are. And, you know, so we really leave it to the councils, based on their local knowledge and their local priorities, what they need to submit to us. Thank you, Minister.