Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 March 2005
225 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason there was no grant allocation for the past two years to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council under the small scheme’s programme for water and drainage; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is a potential environmental gain for many houses in rural and formerly rural areas in that they may access new main sewers. [7182/05]
View answerThe annual block grant allocations to county councils for small public water and sewerage schemes are made under my Department's rural water programme. The objective of the small schemes measure is to assist in the provision or upgrading of public water supply and sewerage services in areas where existing infrastructure is deficient.
Having regard to the predominantly rural focus of the small schemes measure, the high level of demand for improved water and sewerage services in rural towns and villages nationally, the €119 million in major water services infrastructural upgrades approved for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown in the Department's water services investment programme 2004-06 and the overall degree of access to water and sewerage services in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area generally, no rural water allocations were made to the county council in 2004 or 2005.
227 Mr. O’Donovan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans for a sewage scheme for an area (details supplied) in County Cork; the proposed date for works to the scheme to commence; the nature of the works to be executed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7221/05]
View answerThe Drinagh sewerage scheme was not accorded a high priority ranking in the list of water services schemes submitted by Cork County Council's for its western division in response to my Department's request in 2003 to all local authorities to undertake fresh assessments of the needs for capital works in their areas and to prioritise their proposals on the basis of the assessments. The priority lists were taken into account in the framing of my Department's water services investment programme 2004-06, published last year.
In view of the priority afforded to the scheme by the council, it has not been possible to include it the programme.
