Dan Neville
Question:322 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will increase the grants for group sewerage schemes in line with the increases for group water schemes. [14391/01]
Written Answers - Water and Sewerage Schemes.
Cecilia Keaveney
Question:325 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the current position in relation to the report by the National Rural Water Monitoring Committee; if he has further considered increasing the grant level of the group sewerage scheme to the level of the group water scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13578/01]
Willie Penrose
Question:333 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the plans he has to use a number of pilot areas in an initiative to gauge how best to advance the provision of sewerage facilities in rural towns and villages; if he will consider an application from Westmeath County Council to accept Castletown Geoghan as a pilot site for the proposed initiative in County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13759/01]
Ulick Burke
Question:334 Mr. U. Burke asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he has received a report from his officials who visited locations on the continent to inspect locations and study the effectiveness of new technology in sewerage systems for small centres; and if it is feasible for such low cost schemes to be used in certain locations here. [13764/01]
I propose to take Question Nos. 322, 325, 333 and 334 together.
The National Rural-Water Monitoring Committee has reported to me with proposals for meeting the waste water collection and treatment needs of small rural communities. The report recommends a pilot programme to test a range of new, small scale collection and treatment systems based on design, build and operate procurement by local authorities. The proposal submitted by Westmeath County Council in respect of Castletown-Geoghegan will be considered for inclusion in the pilot programme. Subject to a satisfactory outcome to the pilot testing, the report envisages a potential role for group sewerage schemes in the collection of domestic wastewater from households outside the immediate catchment of new treatment systems. Consequently, any such development in relation to group sewerage schemes and any review of the associated grants must await the results of the pilot study.
Paul Connaughton
Question:323 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government when he will make funds available for a new sewerage scheme at Laurencetown, Ballinasloe, County Galway; the current position with the application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13511/01]
Laurencetown sewerage scheme was twenty-third on the list of sewerage schemes submitted by Galway County Council in 1999 in response to my Department's request to local authorities to undertake a fresh assessment of the need for capital works in their areas and to prioritise their proposals on the basis of that assessment. The priority lists were accounted for in the framing of the water services investment programme 2000-02, announced last July. Due to the level of competing demand and the need to prioritise individual proposals on a national basis, it was not possible to include all schemes proposed by local authorities in the programme at that time. The scheme was placed twentieth in a revised priority list of sewerage schemes submitted by the council last January, at an estimated cost of £1.2 million. In March 2001, an alternative proposal, costing £490,000, was received by my Department from the council. This alternative proposal would fall within the scope of the small schemes programme, for which responsibility has been devolved to the local authorities. The council has accordingly been advised that it is for itself to determine whether the scheme should be advanced under that programme or not.