Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 Nov 2003

Vol. 575 No. 4

Written Answers. - Water and Sewerage Schemes.

Denis Naughten

Question:

52 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the grants available for group sewerage and water schemes; his plans to review these grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28336/03]

Cecilia Keaveney

Question:

143 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government if he will increase the group sewerage scheme grants to that of group water schemes to assist the development of environmentally friendly rural policy and to assist areas in which septic tanks have become aged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28664/03]

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. Cullen)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 52 and 143 together.

A grant of up to 85% of the approved cost, subject to a maximum cost of €7,618 per house, is available for the provision of a new group water scheme or for the upgrading of an existing scheme. A 100% grant is available for the installation of essential water treatment and disinfection equipment in an existing group scheme that is dependent on a quality deficient private source. Additional funding may be available from the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs for the provision or upgrading of group water schemes in CLÁR areas to compensate for the effects of low housing density and to improve the economic viability of such schemes.

I have no proposals to increase the level of group water scheme grants, nor is there any such recommendation from the national rural water monitoring committee which advises my Department on rural water policy matters. Group sewerage scheme grants of up to 75% of cost, subject to a maximum grant of €2,031 per house, are available for the provision of common or shared wastewater disposal systems. The national rural water monitoring committee is overseeing the implementation of a pilot programme by local authorities to test a range of new, small scale wastewater collection and treatment systems. Twelve villages in six counties have been selected as locations for the pilot programme. Earlier this year, proposals were invited from suitably qualified contractors to design and build these village schemes and to operate and maintain the infrastructure over a 20 year period. Contractors have now been shortlisted and construction is expected to commence early in 2004.

Subject to a satisfactory outcome to the pilot testing, the national rural water monitoring committee envisages a potential role for group sewerage schemes in the collection of domestic wastewater from households outside the immediate catchment of the new treatment systems. Confirmation of such a role for group sewerage schemes and any review of the associated grants must await the outcome of the pilot programme.