asked the Minister for the Environment whether lack of finance, or any other reason, has been responsible for the interruption of the laying of sewerage pipes to Edmondstown-Rockbrook, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16; when work will recommence; and when all the houses will be connected.
Written Answers. - Rathfarnham (Dublin) Sewerage Pipes.
435.
Dublin County Council commenced work on the laying of the sewer line referred to by the Deputy without the approval of my Department and consequently without a commitment to the sanction of a loan to finance the scheme. I understand that the council have now ceased work pending receipt of the necessary sanctions.
My Department have drawn the council's attention to the implications of departing from the standard procedures laid down for approving and financing sanitary services schemes. It will be appreciated that those procedures are essential to enable me to programme annual expenditure on public water and sewerage schemes in accordance with the overall capital provision for sanitary services and that it would be entirely unfair to other local authorities to permit one local authority to pre-empt capital for their schemes by breaking the procedures which other authorities respect.
The question of approving this scheme must be considered in the context of the overall resources available for the sanitary services programme and the number of fully approved schemes in progress or getting to construction. I am not at present in a position to indicate when the Rockbrook cottages drainage scheme will be fully approved or when the relevant loan application will be sanctioned.