Cooney Questions Why Some Counties Receive Full National Roads Funding While Others Get Less

Tipperary received only €251,000 of the €653,000 requested in 2026 for national road maintenance, per Fine Gael TD Mr Joe Cooney.

Tipperary received just 38.4% of the amount sought in 2026.

Fine Gael TD Mr Joe Cooney has asked Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to explain the criteria used to allocate funding for national road maintenance, upgrades, and safety schemes, questioning why some local authorities receive full funding while others secure substantially less.
The Clare TD said he wanted to know why seemingly similar projects in different counties could have very different funding outcomes, despite local authorities having costed the works they proposed.

His request follows a parliamentary question on project proposals submitted to TII for national road maintenance, upgrades and safety schemes in 2025 and 2026.
The figures show that local authorities requested €7.44 million in 2026, of which €5.78 million had been allocated. This leaves a shortfall of approximately €1.66 million between the amounts sought and the funding allocated to date.

Seven local authorities received 100% of the funding sought in both years: Cavan, Donegal, Galway County, Leitrim, Limerick City and Counties Mayo and Sligo.
However, the funding outcomes varied considerably elsewhere. Tipperary received only €251,000 of the €653,000 requested in 2026, while Cork County Council received €565,793 of €1.25 million sought. Westmeath received €104,300 of the €232,625 requested.
In 2025, Westmeath received no funding from €150,290 sought, while Louth received just €2,554 of its €26,554 request.

Deputy Cooney said the differences raised questions about how applications were assessed and whether necessary works could be completed to the required standard when only part of the requested funding was approved.
“Given the importance of our national roads, why are some projects receiving full funding while seemingly very similar projects in other counties are only receiving partial funding?” he asked. “What are the criteria for funding these projects, and why are applications for what appear to be very similar works having such different outcomes?”

Deputy Cooney said local authorities prepared their funding requests based on the works they considered necessary and the associated costs. He questioned whether partial allocations could leave councils in a position where urgently required works were only partly completed.
“We need to establish whether we are putting ourselves in a situation where works that are urgently required are only being partially completed because the full funding requested has not been made available,” he said.
He argued that funding fully the projects would help ensure longer-term improvements were completed rather than relying on interim repairs.
“For the sake of providing the additional €1.6 million requested in 2026, we could be future proofing the sections of road in question and ensuring that the necessary upgrades are completed,” he said.

The overall allocation for 2026 is substantially higher than in 2025. Funding rose from €2.57 million to €5.78 million, while the amount requested increased from €4.03 million to €7.44 million. The proportion of funding allocated against the amounts requested also increased, from 63.7 per cent in 2025 to 77.7 per cent in 2026.
However, the figures show that the proportion of requests met differed significantly between authorities. Tipperary received just 38.4% of the amount sought in 2026.

Deputy Cooney said he had asked TII to clarify the basis for its decisions and explain how it ensured that funding was allocated consistently to local authorities responsible for maintaining the national road network.
“We need to remove the barriers that are slowing transition. That means making it easier to electrify industry, developing a viable indigenous biomethane sector and ensuring that lower-carbon technologies are not left waiting years for approval.
There is enormous untapped potential in the circular economy. Ireland cannot be satisfied with having the second-lowest circularity rate in the EU. Reducing waste and making better use of the materials and resources already available to us can cut emissions, reduce our reliance on raw materials and build a more resilient economy.” he concluded.