asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware that contract documents for North Roscommon regional water supply scheme were submitted to his Department for approval on 16 January 1980; if he will approve same immediately and treat these cases as a matter of urgency in view of the fact that the Ballinlough-Loughglynn regional scheme has reached the limit of its capacity and that this position can only be remedied when the North Roscommon scheme comes into operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Water and Sewerage Schemes.
11.
The Roscommon County Council's proposals for this scheme must be considered in the context of the amount of capital available for water and sewerage schemes and the number of such schemes in progress, including the following schemes in progress in Roscommon: Athleague regional water supply, stage 1; South Roscommon regional water supply, stage 1; Castlerea regional water supply; Cortober Sewerage; and the schemes getting to construction, including Stage 2 of South Roscommon regional water supply and Stage 1 of Monksland sewerage scheme, for which loans totalling £930,000 have recently been sanctioned.
I am not at present in a position to say when a decision can be conveyed to the local authority on the revised contract documents for the North Roscommon regional water supply scheme, which were received in my Department in January 1980.
Could the Minister tell us when he became aware that these documents were submitted to his Department and when they were implemented?
As I said in my reply, I am not in a position at present to say when a decision can be conveyed to the local authority. I assure the Deputy that, despite how well Roscommon has been doing, there will be no unavoidable delay.
Was the Minister asked to meet a deputation from Roscommon County Council?
Not that I am aware of.
Would the Minister meet a deputation, because this is a very urgent matter?
Certainly.
12.
asked the Minister for the Environment the up-to-date position in regard to the proposed sewerage scheme which is urgently required for the village of Glandore, County Cork; whether plans have been approved for same; and when it is expected that sanction will issue from his Department for the commencement of work.
Preliminary proposals for Glandore sewerage scheme are under consideration in my Department. The proposals for this scheme must be considered in the context of the amount of capital available for water and sewerage schemes and the number of such schemes in progress or getting to construction at the present time. Having regard to the need to conserve capital for the schemes of highest priority, I cannot say at this stage when I will be in a position to convey a decision to the local authority.
Is it the situation that the Minister and the Government have not a brass bob to do the job? Is that his answer?
That is in no way the answer. The question of priorities is decided by the local authority and I notice here that Glandore is only ninth in the local authority's scheme. More money than ever before is being made available and spent.
Is the Minister not sheltering behind the priority list? Why should scheme No. 9 not have some reasonable chance of being done in the near future? Will this scheme be done in the present decade, or can the Minister hold out any hope for these people that they will ever see it?
Do I take it from the Deputy's question that he is asking that I should not take priorities in the order given to me by the local authorities?
No.
I must have regard to that priority.
Wipe out the priority list.
The real question is, why cannot the Minister provide enough money to go right down through the list? Is he using the local authority's list merely as an excuse?
A priority list is a priority list and we are going according to that. As I said, there is more money than ever before being spent at present in our Department. However, all the schemes cannot be done at the one time. We must have regard to the priority list of the local authorities.
The Minister is sheltering behind the list.