Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 13 Oct 1998

Vol. 495 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Water and Sewerage Schemes.

Mr. Naughten

Today's newspapers announced that £185 million would be spent this year on water and sewerage schemes but the Castlerea scheme will not be included in this allocation. The Minister for the Environment and Local Government says we must clamp down on pollution, yet Castlerea has a substandard sewerage scheme which is over capacity and is polluting the river Suck. There is not much point combating eutrophication on Lough Derg when the system in Castlerea is dilapidated and raw sewage is running into the lake from the Ballintober scheme.

The Government is drawing up a White Paper on rural development and is talking about developing the west. The people of Castlerea campaigned for a prison when no other town would campaign for such a development because they needed investment and something to attract people into the town and its hinterland. However, Castlerea has not benefited from this development and one of the main reasons is that the sewerage system is inadequate. Ballintober, a small rural town, cannot take any further development because its sewage is flowing into the Suck, a major fishing river. It is hard to promote tourism in an area when raw sewage is being pumped into the river from both Castlerea and Ballintober.

The residents are frustrated and annoyed by the lack of movement on the part of the Department of the Environment and Local Government as it is inhibiting development in the area. The infuriating point is that it is connected with the greatest squandering of public money by this Government to date, namely, the provision of a sewerage scheme for Castlerea Prison by the Office of Public Works. If the funds for that scheme were allocated for an integrated scheme with the Castlerea town scheme, along with EU Structural Funds, there would be no net cost to the State. However, because the Department and the Office of Public Works are not willing to co-ordinate their efforts, the people of Castlerea lose out.

This is a national scandal. How can any Minister sit idly by and let money be squandered in such a manner? If the Government is serious about developing rural Ireland and towns like Castlerea, funds must be immediately provided for this scheme. It has two parts — phase one is an upgrade for the existing town scheme, and phase two will extend that scheme to the Williamstown Road area. The second phase will connect about 40 houses whose occupants are suffering at present — their septic tanks are not adequate because there is poor soakage leading to a health hazard and a risk of pollution. The plan has been on the Minister's desk for a number of years and I urge him to approve both phases immediately.

In this age of accountability, it is disgraceful that one arm of the State should provide funds for a sewerage scheme for Castlerea Prison when that money could be matched with EU Structural Funds to provide a system for both the prison and the town. This is mismanagement by Government, the Department and the Office of Public Works. The scheme would require liaising between the Department and the Office of Public Works and that should happen — the officials should meet and knock heads together. I urge the Minister to provide the funds immediately.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science (Mr. O'Dea)

I thank Deputy Naughten for raising this matter. My colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, is unable to be in the House this evening to respond to this item and has asked me to do so on his behalf.

I will outline the broader picture in relation to investment in water and sewerage services before I deal with the specific matter raised by the Deputy. The 1998 water and sewerage services investment programme is by far the largest in the history of the State. Under the programme, investment in water and sewerage services will amount to almost £185 million in the current year. This represents an increase of just over 13 per cent on expenditure during 1997, which was £163 million, and a 50 per cent increase on the 1996 figure, which was £122 million. Funding at such an unprecedented level clearly demonstrates this Government's commitment to improving the country's environmental infrastructure and to meeting the existing and projected needs arising from residential, economic and other development.

County Roscommon is benefiting from this substantial level of investment. The programme covers schemes in Roscommon with an estimated value of approximately £20 million. These include the Roscommon sewerage scheme which will be substantially completed this year, Boyle sewerage scheme and Ballagh water supply scheme which commenced construction earlier this year, Monksland sewerage scheme, on which work has just started, and Ballaghaderreen sewerage scheme, in respect of which tenders are under consideration by the local authority. Provision has also been made for the advancement through planning of the north-east Roscommon water augmentation scheme and Tarmonbarry water scheme. In these circumstances, and taking into account schemes already completed, most recently the Boyle/Ardcarne water supply scheme, I think it can be said that County Roscommon is getting a fair share of the available funding. These major schemes will greatly contribute towards removing existing development constraints in Roscommon and to providing the necessary infrastructure to support tourism and other economic sectors.

Castlerea sewerage scheme was included in an application for EU funding under the Lough Derg catchment protection scheme. Unfortunately, however, under an economic appraisal required under the terms of the European Community regulations governing the operation of the Cohesion Fund, the Castlerea scheme, and one other scheme, were excluded from funding on cost benefit grounds. It is worth noting, however, that the Boyle, Monksland and Ballaghaderreen schemes referred to earlier are all benefiting from Cohesion Funding under the Lough Derg and Lough Ree catchment protection schemes. However, the Castlerea proposal, together with the other projects awaiting approval in the Department of the Environment and Local Government, will be further considered in the context of the water and sewerage services investment programme for 1999.