Brian Lenihan
Question:12 Mr. B. Lenihan asked the Minister for the Environment the plans, if any, he has for rural dwellers who depend on private water sources. [5032/97]
Written Answers. - Water Schemes.
Tom Moffatt
Question:42 Dr. Moffatt asked the Minister for the Environment the plans, if any, he has for rural dwellers who depend on private water sources. [5033/97]
Liam Fitzgerald
Question:49 Mr. L. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for the Environment the plans, if any, he has for rural dwellers who depend on a private water source. [9751/97]
Brian Lenihan
Question:61 Mr. Lenihan asked the Minister for the Environment the plans, if any, he has for rural dwellers who depend on private group water schemes. [5034/97]
Tom Moffatt
Question:64 Dr. Moffatt asked the Minister for the Environment the plans, if any, he has for rural dwellers who depend on private group water schemes. [5035/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 42, 49, 61 and 64 together.
On 25 March, I announced a number of measures to complete the Government's comprehensive plans in relation to rural water supplies. These measures take full account of the needs of houses connected to group schemes and houses with their own individual water supply or with no piped water supply.
Following consultation with representatives of group schemes, farming organisations and local authorities, I obtained the approval of the Government to my proposals for an annual subsidy towards the operational costs of group water schemes and a new scheme of grants for the provision of new or improved water supplies to households which cannot readily avail of either a group or public water supply.
Under the proposed subsidy scheme, an amount of up to £75 per annum will be payable by local authorities to groups towards the costs of supplying domestic water to the estimated 55,000 houses connected to privately sourced schemes, and up to £35 per house will be payable to groups with a local authority source in respect of the 90,000 houses served by them. To assist in the financial management of groups it is proposed to pay, on an interim basis, instalments of the subsidy of £45 and £20 to groups with private and public sources, respectively. Full details of the subsidy scheme will be notified to the local authorities following my forthcoming meeting with the National Federation of Group Water Schemes.
Under the new scheme of grants for individual householders, 75 per cent of the cost up to a maximum of £1,600 per house will be available to assist in the provision of a new water supply, or the upgrading of an existing supply. These grants will be payable by the local authorities, subject to prior approval before work commences. I plan to make a further announcement on the details of this grant scheme shortly.
As I announced on 21 January, a new multiannual programme is being established, with funding of £5 million a year, to allow for the upgrading and take-over of group schemes by local authorities where this is agreed by the group scheme concerned. Responsibility for the administration of the existing capital grants schemes for the development and upgrading of group schemes, and for small public water sewerage schemes, has been devolved to local authorities. Block grant allocations in respect of these measures were notified to local authorities on 26 March.
I am confident that the comprehensive approach now being adopted will not only achieve equity in the approach to the provision of water services to all households, but will secure a significant improvement in the quality, reliability and efficiency of rural water supplies generally.