I wish to share my time with Deputy McGrath.
Adjournment Debate. - Water and Sewerage Schemes.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
This is an important scheme on the priority list of Westmeath County Council, and the council is eagerly anticipating funding to permit the scheme to commence in 1999. Lest there be any doubt as to the position, the extension of the Taughmon water scheme from Drummond Cross to Killucan is now the number one priority for Westmeath County Council. It has been a long running saga, and the patience and forbearance of the people living in places like Drummond, Clonickivant, Huntingstown, Killucan and other areas that would benefit from this scheme getting the green light, is now exhausted. The absence of a reliable water supply hinders the strong and earnest efforts of the local community groups and indeed local entrepreneurs in marketing the area for worthwhile industrial projects, which would readily come to this large area if there was a sure and adequate water supply to facilitate their demands.
I have spoken with one well known local businessman who is a very important source of employment for Raharney, Killucan and the surrounding areas, and he is extremely eager that this water scheme would now get the go ahead, as its absence is limiting his company's capacity to extend and create further important job opportunities for the people of this large rural hinterland.
The immediate approval by the Minister and his Department of the contract documents, which were lodged with the Department in 1984, for the extension of the Taughmon water supply scheme from its present extremity at Drummond Cross to Killucan, would allow the abandonment of the present village source, which is extremely vulnerable in quantity terms and indeed has been the source of considerable representations to Deputy McGrath and to me over a considerable period of time. Westmeath County Council believes it would also serve the needs of Kinnegad. In order to allow the continuance of this scheme from Killucan to Kinnegad, it will be necessary to upsize the pipes involved in the stretch between Drummond and Killucan to 200mm. This would be vital to allow for increased development of both housing and industry in Kinnegad, and there are plans also for some housing schemes in Killucan.
I understand that the estimated cost of the scheme from Drummond to Killucan is about £1.22 million and from Killucan to Kinnegad it would cost about £400,000, therefore the total costs would be in the region of £1.6 million in 1998 prices.
It should be pointed out that the future extension of this scheme from Killucan to Kinnegad would facilitate a very important group water scheme, the Cloncrave group water scheme, on which local residents have worked extremely hard. This scheme caters for a large area extending from Cloncrave to Thomastown. It involves about 50 households and numerous farms which are in urgent need of a proper supply of water. These people have also waited patiently for approval.
If the proposed scheme is extended to include Kinnegad, the Cloncrave group water scheme will also be assisted and it will be an important boost to the service land initiative recently announced for Kinnegad. The water capacity in Kinnegad would then be capable of serving a population of about 2,300 people, about four times the size of the current population. The scheme once given the go-ahead from Drummond Cross, will also boost the low pressure supply in the Wooddown area. In effect this scheme, if approved, would provide water for a population equivalent to approximately 6,000 persons in total.
The scheme is also important for the agricultural community. The Minister will be aware of the need for a good supply for this important industry. It is vital that the Minister end the uncertainty for these people, sanction, early in 1999, the documents sent by Westmeath County Council and allow the scheme to proceed to tender.
I note from the budget statement of the Minister for Finance that he is allocating £50 million over the next three years to permit the upgrading of water facilities in small towns and villages. It is payback time for the people of those areas, and what better way to start than to allocate some of this funding to this important scheme.
I thank Deputy Penrose for sharing his time with me. The contract documents for the proposed extension of Taughmon water scheme from Drummond Cross to Killucan have been in the Department of the Environment since 1984. The estimated cost of the scheme at that time was £500,000, but with the passage of time the most recent estimate for the scheme is £1.2 million. I raised this matter in October 1997 with Deputy Penrose and now, 14 months later, I again appeal to the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to give this scheme the go ahead in 1999. It would be a fitting tribute to Councillor John H. Keegan, who is the longest serving member of Westmeath County Council, having given 40 years of loyal service to his constituents. He has announced his intention to retire from the council next June and it would be a fitting tribute to him if the scheme went ahead. Councillor Keegan lives in this hinterland and it would be a fitting tribute to his service on the council over the years. This scheme will provide a much needed water supply to a wide area of County Westmeath including Drummond and Clonickivant and the areas mentioned by Deputy Penrose and also improve the supply to the villages of Killucan and Raharney. Thousands of households could benefit from this scheme and, thus, take away the need for individual wells and their potential for uncertain quality and quantity of water supply.
A sum of £267 million has been allocated for water and sewerage services in 1999 by the Department and an additional £8 million was added to this figure specifically for the provision of facilities in rural Ireland. The Minister has an ideal opportunity to provide a much sought after and needed service in County Westmeath and I ask him to prove his commitment to providing service to rural areas there. He will be judged on his response to it. I am very disappointed with the response I received to a parliamentary question which I tabled today. It was very poor and if the Minister of State gives me a similar response now, I will be extremely disappointed. I hope he has good news for us.
I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. My colleague the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, is unable to be in the House to respond and has asked me to do so on his behalf. I will outline the broader picture in terms of investment in water and sewerage services before I deal with the specific matter raised by the Deputies.
This year the Minister announced a major water and sewerage capital programme with the provision of £185 million, which is the highest ever annual investment in the programme. Next year's provision will be about 50 per cent higher and includes the initiative announced by the Minister for Finance in the budget to assist the provision of water and sewerage infrastructure in rural towns and villages. Funding at such an unprecedented level clearly demonstrates the Government's commitment to improving the country's environmental infrastructure and meeting the existing and projected needs arising from residential, economic and other development.
County Westmeath is benefiting from this substantial level of investment. The 1998 investment programme covers schemes in Westmeath with an estimated value of approximately £3.5 million pounds. These include Athlone, Annagh/Baylin, water scheme in respect of which tenders are under consideration by the local authority; Athlone sewerage, Westbank, scheme on which work is expected to commence shortly; Athlone water conservation project on which work is ongoing; Moate sewerage scheme which will shortly be substantially complete and Mullingar, Tyrrellspass, water scheme which was substantially completed this year.
In addition to these schemes provision has also been made under the serviced land initiative to fund the Kinnegad sewerage scheme; a major extension to the Mullingar sewerage scheme and the Coosan, Athlone, surface water drainage scheme. The total estimated cost of these schemes is £4.76 million, 40 per cent of which will be funded by the Exchequer. In these circumstances, County Westmeath is getting a fair share of the available funding. These major schemes will greatly contribute to removing existing development constraints in Westmeath and providing the necessary infrastructure to support economic development and tourism.
On the specific proposal raised by the Deputies, contract documents to extend the Mullingar regional water supply scheme to Taughmon reservoir, which will serve Killucan, have been submitted to my Department. This proposal is estimated to cost in excess of £1 million. I will ask the Minister to bear in mind what the Deputies have said about the need for this scheme when drawing up the 1999 water and sewerage services investment programme. The Deputies will be aware that there are very many schemes around the country competing for the available resources.