Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 October 2013
414. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department will prioritise the installation of a sewerage scheme for the village of Burtonport, County Donegal; if his attention has been drawn to the findings of the Environmental Protection Agency regarding pollution in this village; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42388/13]
View answerThe Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library, provides for the development of a comprehensive range of new water services infrastructure in County Donegal. The Programme includes contracts under construction and to commence to the value of some €132 million in County Donegal during the period of the Programme. However, the Burtonport Sewerage Scheme was not amongst the priority contracts and schemes selected for inclusion in the current Programme.
The Programme aims to prioritise projects that target environmental compliance issues and support economic and employment growth. A key input to the development of the Programme was the assessment of needs prepared by local authorities, including Donegal County Council, in response to my Department's request to the authorities in 2009 to review and prioritise their proposals for new capital works in their areas. These were subsequently appraised in the Department in the context of the funds available and key criteria that complemented those used by the authorities. Inevitably, through this process, certain projects that had been proposed had to give way to others that are more strategically important at this time.
Progress under the Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013, was reviewed in mid-2011 and through this process consideration was given to any newly emerging priority contracts and schemes submitted by local authorities for addition to the Programme. No proposal for the Burtonport Sewerage Scheme was received from Donegal County Council in response to the review .
It is intended that Irish Water will be responsible for the delivery of water services capital infrastructure from 1 January 2014. Irish Water is currently preparing a Capital Investment Plan for 2014-2015.
