Willie Penrose
Question:9 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for the Environment the current position concerning the provision of a water supply to the villages of Ballynacarring, Moyvore and Ballymore in County Westmeath. [2221/96]
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Westmeath Water Scheme.
Paul McGrath
Question:13 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment the current position concerning the provision of a water supply to the villages of Ballynacarrig, Moyvore and Ballymore in County Westmeath. [2220/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 13 together.
The Mullingar regional water supply scheme, north-western low level section, which I have approved to go to construction, will serve Ballynacarrig, Moyvore and Ballymore. Westmeath County Council has recently advertised for tenders for the scheme. I look forward to seeing at first hand the progress being made on this long awaited and much welcomed development.
The Deputies opposite have had more success than us.
I profoundly thank the Minister for this excellent news.
The Deputy does not even have the grace to look surprised.
This news will be welcomed by the residents of Ballinacarrig, Moyvore and Ballymore. I wish to point out to Deputy Ryan that the late Neil Blaney was Minister for Local Government when this scheme was first mooted 33 years ago. Since then the people of Ballinacarrig have had very poor quality drinking water. Deputy McGrath will tell the Deputy about the position in Ballymore where he was born and which had no public water supply.
The Deputy should hurry as Deputy O'Rourke is going around with the circular letter.
The tender for the scheme was submitted in 1991 and the Minister will receive a warm welcome when he travels to Ballinacarring to turn the first sod. No doubt he will receive a similar welcome in Deputy McGrath's home village of Ballymore.
A question, please.
Will the Minister give an assurance that there will be no undue delay in sanctioning the tender which should be submitted by Westmeath County Council before the end of March and that work will be well advanced by the end of the year so that the residents of these villages and rural communities who have waited more than 30 years for the green light to be given to this scheme will have a proper water supply?
The scheme has been at tender stage since 1991. I am convinced of the merits of this important scheme which will involve the laying of approximately 32 kilometres of pipe and cost in excess of £2 million. I have allocated the money for this year and the work will commence as soon as I have accepted the tenders.
I also welcome the Minister's announcement. When I was growing up in Ballymore, which was not today or yesterday, people were talking about the need for a water supply. Thankfully this scheme will shortly come to fruition. The scheme has been with the Minister's Department since June 1991 and it has taken a long time to have it sanctioned. I thank the Minister for the good news he has given us today. Ballymore was unique in that it had a sewerage scheme but no water supply. The Minister proposes to correct this anomaly which I am sure would have caused some laughter if the media had heard about it.
There is a ballad in that.
I am sure the Deputy has a question.
Given the huge area it will serve, will the Minister give favourable consideration to group water schemes which could be incorporated in the work on this scheme?
It is said that eaten bread is soon forgotten but this bread has only just been baked.
We have had 30 years of hunger.
The Deputies are lucky Fianna Fáil managed to get the scheme into the Department in 1991.
There is much merit in the scheme and I look forward to considering group water schemes shortly. Deputies will be aware that the allocations for group water schemes last year not only doubled the funding available for individual schemes but also ensured an historic number of approvals. I hope the practice I established last year can be repeated this year. The Deputies from Westmeath have been very able advocates of this worthy scheme and I am glad to have been able to give them a positive response.