Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 22 Oct 1997

Vol. 482 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Listowel (Kerry) Water Scheme.

Mr. Deenihan

This Adjournment Matter concerns stage four of the Listowel regional water supply scheme which is intended to supply the head works for group scheme development in the general area of Asdee, County Kerry. This is also referred to as the north-east Kerry regional water supply scheme.

Full contract documentation was forwarded to the Department of the Environment in May 1991 with a request for approval to go to tender. To date no approval has been received. Over 500 householders are involved, including farmers, small business people, shopkeepers, publicans, public servants, industrial workers, guest house operators and old age pensioners. Asdee is the only village in Kerry without a mains water supply and this is not acceptable. The Asdee area is one of the most highly populated areas in the country without a mains supply. This is holding back development in the locality, especially in tourism. The area is on the bank of the Shannon and is close to resorts like Ballybunion with its golf course, etc. Many tourists are attracted to the area and they would stay locally if accommodation was provided. However, the lack of an adequate water supply has held the area back in recent times and if such a supply is not provided it will restrict it in the future.

The alternative source of water supply is from wells but the local supply is of poor quality — it has a high concentration of iron and lime, it has proven expensive to filter and even then the supply is poor. This also leads to widespread corrosion of water pipes and householders are losing a considerable amount of money because of the lack of a mains supply.

I accept that the scheme has been proposed during the past two and a half years and when I was part of the last Government I brought it to the attention of the then Minister for the Environment on several occasions. Unfortunately the scheme was not approved in that period but I appeal to the Minister of State to do so. Not long ago I remember answering Adjournment Matters tabled by him on group water schemes. He has been in the Department of the Environment before and more than anyone he realises the importance of mains supply to rural areas, such as this one. I ask him and his colleague, the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, to prioritise this scheme. It is critical for the people living in the locality and for the surrounding community that a decision is made as soon as possible. It would add greatly to the confidence of an area that is losing its population and its small businesses. This is the type of morale booster the area needs.

I hope provision for the scheme has been made in the Estimates. It would cost about £2.5 million to provide the necessary headworks at Farranastack and Lacca at Lisselton to provide the water for Asdee. I appeal to the Minister of State to be as positive as possible.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment (Mr. Molloy)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter tonight. He did not come to the House to raise it last night although I was here to answer it.

Mr. Deenihan

I was not informed it was due to be discussed last night and that is why I was not present. I left a message last week that I would raise this matter again but that I would not be available on Tuesday.

Mr. Molloy

My colleague and Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, regrets he is unable to be present in the House this evening to reply and he has asked me to do so on his behalf.

I will speak in a moment about the north west Kerry regional water supply scheme, but first I will address the wider issue of rural water supplies. It has been recognised by all sides of the House that rural water supplies are under threat. Recent reports indicate that a sizeable proportion of rural water supply systems, especially among the smaller private group schemes, are substandard and require substantial investment to bring them to an acceptable level in terms of water quality, the amount of water supplied and water lost through leakage.

The Government is committed to ensuring the greatest possible amount of capital funding will be made available to support rural water supplies. Such investment is needed not only to provide for new public schemes but to assist the groups scheme sector.

Earlier this year a number of measures were introduced to secure the improvement of rural water supplies through the provision of grants and subsidies to private group schemes and grants for the improvement or provision of new water supplies to houses not already connected to either a group or a public water supply scheme. Of equal importance, however, is the need for local authorities to prepare comprehensive strategic rural water plans which will provide a blueprint for the development of water services for rural areas in partnership with the voluntary group scheme sector. Local authorities have been asked to prepare such plans over the next three years and, in the meantime, to submit to the Department before the end of this month a multi-annual programme of prioritised schemes for funding to cover the period 1998-2000.

The Listowel regional water supply scheme, stage 4, proposes to provide water to an area largely served by individual well and rainwater tanks and provide the headworks for group development in the general area of Asdee and the north west of the county. Contract documents for the scheme were submitted in May 1991 and are currently being held in the Department. The estimated cost of the scheme at the time of preparation of the documents was £2.1 million. It has not been possible given the high level of commitments under the water and sewerage investment programme to provide funding for this scheme.

I regret the Minister is not in a position at this stage to give a commitment to the funding of the scheme. This will depend in large measure on the priority to be awarded to the scheme in the context of Kerry County Council's overall strategy for rural water supplies.