asked the Minister for the Environment the reasons he has not sanctioned the immediate commencement of the mid-Galway water scheme; the up-to-date position regarding the scheme; the total number and names of the sub-groups within the scheme: the total number of houses to be serviced by the entire scheme; the total amount of water allocated to each group; the total amount of money sanctioned for the scheme in 1985; the total amount of grants paid into the scheme to date; the amount of these grants that was funded from FEOGA; if, in view of the facts made available to him as a result of his meeting with the deputation from the mid-Galway Committee on 11 December 1984 he will now give immediate sanction to this committee to proceed with the scheme and alleviate the hardships being suffered by the people of this area due to the constant shortage of water in the entire mid-Galway area; the directive he has given to Galway County Council in this matter; if he will outline the county council's attitude on this scheme as informed to his Department by them; and if he will make a statement on this serious matter.
Written Answers. - County Galway Water Scheme.
Galway County Council have completed stage 1 of the mid-Galway regional water supply scheme. This is a public scheme involving the development of a stream at Danganbeg Wood and the provision of headworks at a cost of approximately £1.5 million, of which £0.5 million has been recouped from the EC under the FEOGA western package. The design capacity of the headworks is 950,000 gallons, per day. While information on all the areas and houses capable of being served by the headworks is not readily available to my Department, it is estimated that stage 1 of the scheme will ultimately benefit some 2,000 houses and associated farms throughout the mid-Galway region including those in the proposed mid-Galway group scheme area.
The mid-Galway group have sought approval to grants and a special contribution in respect of the first phase of their proposed group scheme development which will bring water supplies to 450 houses and associated farms in an area between Abbeyknockmoy and Monivea, running towards Coolarne and the Abbey-Ryehill. The provision of the group scheme will enable water to be supplied to approximately 850 other houses and associated farms in the vicinity and designs were received recently from the group for a second phase of the group scheme to serve 60 houses and 140 farms. The group propose as part of the first phase to lay the large distribution mains which are necessary to provide water supplies to other areas at a later date. Galway County Council, however, have revived their earlier proposal to lay these distribution mains as stage 2 of the regional scheme. This proposal is under examination in my Department and I hope to make a decision on the matter in the near future.