A further €10.5million is to be invested to improve rural roads and laneways in Ireland.

The allocation represents a doubling of the budget under the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) – bringing the overall annual spend to a record €21 million.

The Local Improvement Scheme is designed to support the continued improvement of non-public roads in rural communities and improves access to rural homes and farms, as well as outdoor amenities such as our lakes, rivers, mountains and beaches.

The roads and laneways are not normally maintained by locally authorities but, nonetheless, represent a vital piece of infrastructure for rural residents.

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The share of the additional funding that is being allocated to each county under this second round comes following engagement between the Department of Rural and Community Development and local authorities.

The county allocations are based on the level of works that each local authority indicated they could complete before the end of the year.

The higher the level of demand that could be met by a local authority before the end of the year, the higher the level of funding they have been allocated.

The LIS scheme was re-introduced in 2017 and over 10,000 landowners and rural residents have benefitted to date.

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, said: "Our Rural Future, the Government's ambitious five year policy for Rural Ireland, commits to increasing the Government’s investment in our rural roads through the Local Improvement Scheme.

"So I was delighted to secure a further €10.5 million for the Scheme which doubles our investment under the scheme this year to €21 million – the highest annual allocation since the scheme was re-introduced.

"This additional funding demonstrates my commitment to improving connectivity for rural residents – whether it be access to homes, farms or outdoor amenities."