Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 29 Apr 1999

Vol. 504 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Water and Sewerage Facilities.

Mr. Wall

I thank the Minister for taking this Adjournment matter. Castledermot has an antiquated sewerage system which is totally inadequate to meet the needs of the town. It is hindering development from a residential as well as a commercial point of view. The town is well positioned on the N9 and is ideal for both types of development. There have been numerous applications for residential developments that have had to be put on hold because of the present state of the sewerage system.

The close proximity of the town to Carlow makes it an ideal location for commercial development. An IDA site in the town could be developed if proper sewerage facilities were made available. A hotel is also proposed for the town but this was put on hold because of the sewerage problems. Both local and national developers have expressed an interest in obtaining many of the fine sites available within the remit of the town, only to find that the sewerage system has been the cause of delays in planning applications. This town urgently needs a proper sewerage system. I ask the Department to allocate funding to Kildare County Council for this purpose. The result would ensure that this historic town can develop in tandem with all the other towns in south Kildare which are experiencing a boom in residential development. Available sites can be sold for development. There is a need in the south Kildare area for residential development. Many people travel to Dublin each day from their homes in south Kildare. If the sewerage system in Castledermot was upgraded, residential developments could be provided. It is crazy that the sewerage system in Castledermot is designed in a way which does not allow for any development in the town. As a result, Castledermot has fallen behind all the other towns. I would ask the Minister to ensure that money is made available to allow Castledermot to develop on an equal footing with the other towns in south Kildare.

Mr. Byrne

Deputy Wall knows of my interest and affinity for County Kildare. I will pass on his request to my colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, who is unable to be in the House to respond. He asked me to apologise and reply on his behalf.

This matter has been raised with the Minister on numerous occasions over the past 22 months by Deputy Power and Senator Dardis. However, I thank Deputy Wall for raising it this evening.

At the outset, I want to 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 extent of the Government's commitment to the water services area generally has again been firmly underlined by the unprecedented level of investment set out in the 1999 water and sewerage services investment programme, which was published in January last.

The 1999 programme is by far the largest ever. At £275 million, investment in water and sewerage services this year will be 50 per cent greater than last year and no less than double the size of the 1996 spend. Funding of this order will impact substantially on the environmental infrastructure and the ability of that infrastructure to meet current and projected development needs from residential, industrial and other forms of economic activity.

I am pleased to say that the Deputy's county is a significant beneficiary of the 1999 programme which includes Kildare schemes worth approximately £37 million. Listed to start construction are Monasterevin water and Prosperous sewerage schemes. The Kilcullen, Osberstown, and Leixlip sewerage schemes are included for continued construction.

Funding has also been approved under the serviced land initiative for schemes worth almost £1.5 million at Calverstown, Derrinturn, Kilcock, Kildare/Rathangan, Kill and Prosperous, designed to bring additional serviced residential sites on stream as rapidly as possible to ease pressures on the housing market. It is clear that Kildare is getting a fair share of available funding and that the schemes which have been approved will greatly contribute to removing development constraints and to creating the infrastructure needed to support and expand tourism and other important economic activities. I am conscious of the strong case for Castledermot made by Deputy Wall.

The Minister for the Environment and Local Government is aware of the sewerage needs of Castledermot. A revised preliminary report was submitted to the Department of the Environment and Local Government on 6 July 1998. This proposal comes within the terms of the Department's circular letter L9/98 of 22 October 1998. This circular asked each local authority to undertake a fresh assessment of the needs for capital works in its area and to prepare a prioritised list of projects based on the assessment. The priority lists will be taken into consideration by the Department in framing future water and sewerage services investment programmes under the next National Development Plan 2000-06.

In addition, the scheme will be considered, along with all other competing proposals, under the rural towns and villages initiative. This initiative, which was announced in the budget by the Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy, a fellow Kildare man, aims to provide much needed water and sewerage facilities in small rural towns and villages.

In a nutshell, the ball is in Deputy Wall's court. It would be pleasant for any of us to have the Minister for Finance living in his or her territory. As he is a strong GAA man also, I am sure the Deputy will find a road to him.