Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 November 2014
231. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a per annum breakdown of total spending on water services, operational and capital in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, and proposed in 2015 and 2016. [43621/14]
View answerFull details of operational expenditure by local authorities on water services are not available in my Department. However, the Annual Financial Statement of each local authority provides an analysis of their current and capital expenditure, including all water services provided by them, in addition to expenditure on the group water sector, private installations and public conveniences.
Responsibility for the administration of my Department’s Rural Water Programme has been devolved to local authorities since 1997.
The selection, prioritisation and approval of individual scheme proposals for advancement and funding under the programme, within the overall priorities set by my Department and subject to the block grant allocations provided, is therefore a matter for the local authorities. The table below sets out the funding recouped to authorities by my Department. It includes all capital funding recouped under the Rural Water Programme and subsidies towards the operational costs of group water schemes provided under the Local Government Fund.
Rural Water Programme
|
Year |
Capital Exchequer Payments |
Subsidies towards Group Water Schemes & local authority salary costs |
|
|
€ million |
€ million |
|
2010 |
88 .000 |
17 . 000 |
|
2011 |
79 . 000 |
23. 000 |
|
2012 |
40.000 |
24.643 |
|
2013 |
3 4.000 |
19. 43 5 |
|
2014 (Provision) |
27 . 700 |
23. 500 |
The Water Services Investment Programme was a multi-annual investment plan for the provision of major water and sewerage schemes. The first rolling 3-year Water Services Investment Programme was launched in July 2000 to meet identified water services needs. The Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013 was the last such plan, and is available in the Oireachtas library along with previous plans.
Details of expenditure from 2010 to 2013 under the Water Services Investment Programme is outlined in the table below.
Water Services Investment Programme
|
Year |
€ |
|
2010 |
407,000,000 |
|
2011 |
349,964,346 |
|
2012 |
268,129,230 |
|
2013 |
240,780,080 |
Details of Irish Water’s operational and capital costs for 2015 and 2016 are outlined in their revenue and water charges plan which was reviewed by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). Details of the review and the CER’s decision are available on the CER website, www.cer.ie.
Since 1 January 2014 Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels including the delivery of water services capital infrastructure. Irish Water has published its proposed Capital Investment Plan 2014-2016 and this is available online at http://www.water.ie/news/proposed-capital-investme/Proposed-Capital-Investment-Plan-2014-2016.pdf.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives and has contacted all Oireachtas members to provide details of an improved level of service which it is aiming to provide. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a new dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
