Vol. 546 No. 1
140 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will make the necessary funds available to the various local authorities for the augmentation of existing sewerage schemes and the provision of new facilities where necessary with particular reference to the need to eliminate pollution from treatment works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31317/01]
The national development plan provides for expenditure of almost 4.4 billion over the period 2000-06 on water services infrastructure, the bulk of which will be incurred on the treatment of wastewater. This is approximately three times the total comparable spend during the 1994-99 period and will see spending in 2001 reach more than twice the 1998 level. Exchequer expenditure this year is expected to reach a record 500 million.
The wastewater schemes included in the water services investment programme, 2000-02, which is available in the Oireachtas Library, were drawn mainly from the assessments of needs produced by local authorities in response to my Department's request to all authorities to prepare and submit prioritised proposals for dealing with their capital water and wastewater requirements. The assessments have helped to quantify the amount of investment needed to augment existing schemes and to provide new facilities.
Funding for wastewater infrastructure under the water services investment programme is focused on meeting the requirements of the urban wastewater treatment directive. A number of significant wastewater schemes have already been substantially completed under the new programme in locations such as Drogheda, Dundalk, Leixlip, Oberstown and Loughrea. The provision of the necessary facilities is well advanced in locations such as Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway. The NDP provides for an investment of 1.7 billion to complete the remaining wastewater schemes required under the directive.
The current investment strategy, covering the period 2000-02, is the first phase of a rolling three year programme that will be advanced progressively up to the end of the NDP in 2006. Additional schemes will be added to the programme in future phases on the basis of prevailing priority needs at the time.
141 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the efficiency rate achieved by sewage treatment systems for once-off houses; if he will make a comparison with conventional treatment systems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31318/01]
There is a general requirement under the Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts not to cause or permit any polluting matter to enter waters, and all sewage treatment systems for single houses must be designed so as to respect this.
