I am pleased the Minister has come into the House to reply to my question. Is he aware the proposal before Galway Corporation to consider the option of a sewage treatment plant based on alternative technology, that would allow the facilities to be built underground on Mutton Island, has been estimated by P.H. McCarthy & Partners, consulting engineers, to have a true stage one scheme cost of £25,459,500 at current prices, a 28 per cent increase on the approved scheme's capital cost? Is he aware that plant operation costs of the underground proposal are estimated by McCarthy's to have a true stage one annual operating cost of £770,300 at current prices, an increase of 150 per cent on the approved scheme's annual operating costs? In view of this does he still consider the underground proposal to be a viable option for Galway Corporation?
The Dáil Official Reports show I have raised the need for a proper sewage treatment plant and a new sea outfall for the Galway main drainage system with successive Ministers for the Environment since 1982. Even though the need was recognised that long ago, in 1996 we are no nearer a decision on the matter than we were in the early eighties. The scheme was then estimated to cost approximately £5 million and its capitalised costs since have increased by a factor of seven.
Earlier this year the Minister for the Environment, Deputy Howlin, announced he would not provide funds for the construction of a causeway to Mutton Island to facilitate the construction of the treatment plant and sea outfall on the island, as previously approved by him, and that Galway Corporation should consider seeking tenders for the design, construction and operation of an underground plant located on Mutton Island. This decision was a reversal of the Minister's earlier announcement and naturally caused great confusion in Galway, particularly as he gave no indication of the likely capital and operating cost differences or from where the moneys would come.
What was the basis for the Minister's decision? Did he have a separate examination carried out by experts that led to his change of mind? If so, who are the experts and is their report on the technical and financial aspects of the underground scheme on Mutton Island without a causeway available? Will he submit a copy of it to Galway Corporation? Has the Minister confirmation that the European Commission will approve funding for an underground plant on Mutton Island and, if not, will he indicate if he proposes to provide funding from the Exchequer towards the capital costs and an annual subsidy towards the running costs?
At the time the Minister made his announcement, did he know the Segher's proposal for an underground waste water treatment plant at Mutton Island on a capitalised costs basis would cost £35 million compared to £23.7 million for the scheme he approved and announced earlier this year? Is he telling Galway Corporation that he will approve an underground scheme for the island costing £11.3 million more than the scheme he approved earlier this year? Furthermore, will he indicate if he intends to make an annual subsidy available to Galway Corporation to meet the huge annual operating costs of the Mutton Island underground scheme, calculated by McCarthy consulting engineers to cost £770,000 per annum? Does the Minister know this level of annual cost would require an increase of £77 per annum per household in Galway Corporation's service charges, an increase of more than 100 per cent on current domestic service charge levels or, alternatively, an increase of up to £13 in the pound in the commercial rates?
In making his second announcement, contradicting his first, the Minister landed Galway in a major dilemma. Did he know the financial consequences of putting the plant underground on the island? Is he prepared to provide the initial capital and annual funding to enable that to be done? I appeal to the Minister to shed realistic light on this matter in the hope that the continued widespread pollution of Galway Bay can be addressed and the quality of our bathing waters restored to blue flag status at the earliest possible opportunity.