Fine Gael Meath TDs have welcomed the allocation of €1,549,868 under the Community Involvement Scheme which will be used to repair lesser trafficked rural roads in the county.

The announcement follows on from a meeting the TDs had last week with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar TD, where they raised the state of the roads in Meath and pushed for action on the matter.

Deputy Regina Doherty said: "The roads in Meath are among the worst in the country, with an estimated €20 million needed to bring them up to standard. Obviously that amount is not available but the nationalisation of the Community Involvement Scheme (CIS) will help to bridge the gap. Meath had lodged applications for 11 projects and all of them have been awarded. This demonstrates and confirms a serious response by Government to this issue which is impacting greatly on commuters and motorists in Meath."

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Deputy Helen McEntee said: "The roads in Meath, and particularly North Meath, have been in a particularly dire state since the bad weather last year. The fact that Meath has been allocated the most amount of money of all counties is an acknowledgement of the scale of the problem facing the people of Meath. A total allocation of €10.5 million nationally has been made available and Meath has been given access to more than €1.5 million. Three quarters of a million euro has been recommended for this year and €800,000 in 2014. I know the people of Meath will be forthcoming in playing their part in getting the Meath roads up to speed."

(CD/MH)