Vol. 486 No. 3
72 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if the Government will provide substantially increased funds for the provision of sewerage schemes for small towns and villages such as Cheekpoint in County Waterford to allow for their development in an orderly fashion. [2385/98]
The Government has provided substantially increased funds for the provision of waste and water infrastructure, as is evidenced by the extensive water and sewerage investment programme for 1998 which I announced on 2 February. This programme provides for capital expenditure of almost £185 million on water and sewerage projects throughout the country, and represents an increase on 13.5 per cent on the 1997 expenditure of £163 million and an increase of 50 per cent on the 1996 figure. Sixty major water and sewerage schemes are scheduled to start construction in 1998, a further 61 schemes will continue construction and 79 schemes will be advanced through planning.
Included in this year's provision is an amount of over £28 million for the rural water programme, which will provide funding for public schemes, water and sewerage, costing less than £250,000, and for grants for group water and sewerage schemes and for houses with individual water supplies. The allocations to individual local authorities for 1998 under the rural water programme will be notified shortly.
With regard to the Cheekpoint sewerage scheme, contract documents for stage 1 of the scheme have been submitted to my Department, but given the high level of commitments under the programme, I cannot say when it might be possible to approve them.
