I thank Senator Ó Fearghail for having raised this matter on the Adjournment. The provision of modern environmental infrastructure to support economic objectives has been a major focus of Government investment over the past four and a half years. Total planned spending on water services infrastructure over the period of the current national development plan amounts to almost €4.4 billion. This investment is aimed at supporting economic and social development, employment creation and the achievement of high environmental standards. In the first year of the NDP alone, the increase produced in wastewater treatment capacity was sufficient to meet the needs of a population equivalent to 180,000 people, almost half the total increase for the entire 1994 to 1999 period.
The water services investment programme, 2000-02, is the first phase of a rolling programme to give effect to planned spending on water services under the national development plan up to 2006. Funding is being provided for new water scheme projects in every county. The total investment proposed for County Kildare under the first phase of the programme amounts to almost €80 million in respect of 20 schemes around the county. Among the more significant schemes are Osberstown and Leixlip sewerage schemes, both of which were completed in the first year of the programme. The next stage of the upper Liffey valley sewerage scheme is currently going through planning.
Other smaller but nonetheless important projects included in the programme are Castledermot water and sewerage schemes and the sewerage schemes at Monasterevin and Allenwood. These are being progressed under the rural towns and villages initiative. Also approved to proceed through planning is the south Kildare water supply scheme. A further eight serviced land initiative schemes have also been approved to ensure that new housing can be made available in the areas of greatest demand.
The current water services investment programme for County Kildare, announced in July 2000, took into account the list of water and sewerage schemes adopted as priorities by Kildare County Council. Like other councils, Kildare County Council was asked at the time by the Department of the Environment and Local Government to undertake a fresh assessment of the needs for capital water services works in its areas and to prioritise its proposals on the basis of the assessments. The upgrading and expansion of the sewerage network and the provision of a new treatment plant to service the Curragh Camp and the villages of Brownstown, Suncroft and Cutbush was included in the Kildare needs assessment and estimated at the time to cost approximately €3.8 million. It was, however, described as a scheme with a 2005 horizon in accordance with the objectives of the county development plan.
Given the timescales envisaged for the schemes by the council, the fact that it was then at an early stage of planning and having regard to the level of competing national demands and funding available, it was not possible to include it in the programme last year. In the meantime, a revised proposal including details of possible joint funding arrangements between Kildare County Council and the Department of Defence for the Curragh element of the scheme has been received by the Department from the council.
The current programme of schemes announced for Kildare is only the first phase of the investment strategy that will be progressively rolled forward up to the end of the NDP in 2006. The Curragh, Brownstown, Cutbush and Suncroft scheme will be considered in the context of the next phase of the programme in light of prevailing priorities identified by the council at that time. The Senator can be assured that the points he made this evening will also be taken into account at that stage.
