Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 December 2016
128. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the details of all grant payment schemes for group water schemes; the total number of such schemes which are grant aided; and the total cost of these for each of the past three years. [39145/16]
View answerThe information requested is being compiled and will be provided to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A
Responsibility for the administration of my Department’s Rural Water Programme, under which funding is provided for group water schemes, had been devolved to local authorities since 1997. The selection, prioritisation and approval of individual group scheme proposals for advancement and funding under this programme, within the overall priorities set by my Department and subject to the block grant allocations provided, was therefore a matter for the local authorities.
During 2015, my Department established a working group, involving key stakeholders in the rural water sector, which includes group water schemes, to address the development of the sector within the overall water reform programme to ensure that the programme responds effectively to current and future needs. Local authorities, the Water Services Transition Office, Irish Water, the National Federation of Group Water Schemes and my Department are represented on the working group.
The tasks of the working group included the development of a multi-annual approach to targeting funding to meet priority needs of the sector and to ensure that there is appropriate integration of the Department's Rural Water Programme and Irish Water's Capital Investment Programme so as to fully support rural development and address any environmental issues that may arise.
In January 2016, my Department wrote to local authorities, advising them of the new multi-annual approach to the funding of group water schemes for 2016 and beyond under the rural water programme. Details of the new grant scheme under my Department’s new Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2016 – 2018 is available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/water/water-services/rural-water-programme/group-water-schemes-and-rural-water-issues.
Consequently, 2016 is a transition year where a mixture of block grants and scheme specific funding was made to local authorities. All proposals from local authorities for scheme specific funding were examined by an Expert Panel convened for this purpose. In August 2016, my Department notified local authorities of the final overall allocations for funding in 2016. Under scheme specific allocations, 83 group water schemes were allocated funding in 2016. A copy of the Expert Panel's report and consideration of all proposals under the Programme is also available at the above link. The transition to the more scheme specific approach will continue in 2017.
The following table sets out the amounts recouped by county under the programme over the period 2014-2016 as grants for group water schemes. The amounts in the table do not include the administration and overhead costs of local authorities in administering the Rural Water Programme (approx. €1.8m per annum) which are also recouped to local authorities by my Department.
|
County |
Grant for Group Water Schemes 2014 |
Grant for Group Water Schemes 2015 |
Grant for Group Water Schemes 2016 (Provisional) |
|
Carlow |
€423,863.27 |
€150,645.84 |
€0.00 |
|
Cavan |
€588,673.47 |
€1,083,439.65 |
€5,375.74 |
|
Clare |
€33,651.00 |
€260,892.41 |
€1,500.00 |
|
Cork |
€167,174.79 |
€550,320.64 |
€0.00 |
|
Donegal |
€144,037.81 |
€82,486.26 |
€0.00 |
|
Galway |
€1,218,616.71 |
€2,352,061.21 |
€1,114,394.32 |
|
Kerry |
€497,639.63 |
€212,033.90 |
€155,511.20 |
|
Kildare |
€3,448.99 |
€113,859.98 |
€62,833.45 |
|
Kilkenny |
€335,378.29 |
€431,200.79 |
€0.00 |
|
Laois |
€488,573.93 |
€435,704.87 |
€0.00 |
|
Leitrim |
€153,470.38 |
€64,185.92 |
€103,434.65 |
|
Limerick |
€907,368.93 |
€724,003.71 |
€35,855.75 |
|
Longford |
€153,335.88 |
€36,663.71 |
€14,883.36 |
|
Louth |
€218,498.04 |
€182,896.24 |
€232,926.32 |
|
Mayo |
€1,588,696.45 |
€1,573,866.06 |
€4,820,632.31 |
|
Meath |
€37,065.25 |
€206,406.85 |
€212,761.57 |
|
Monaghan |
€611,821.09 |
€737,499.43 |
€45,778.05 |
|
Offaly |
€454,621.92 |
€407,519.00 |
€0.00 |
|
Roscommon |
€1,530,873.38 |
€647,856.47 |
€400,566.98 |
|
Sligo |
€609,863.19 |
€305,707.35 |
€0.00 |
|
Tipperary |
€586,841.43 |
€459,146.75 |
€391,092.60 |
|
Waterford |
€55,889.36 |
€55,099.90 |
€0.00 |
|
Westmeath |
€89,966.62 |
€25,798.55 |
€0.00 |
|
Wexford |
€24,476.93 |
€305,497.50 |
€178,615.98 |
|
Wicklow |
€159,742.52 |
€33,525.70 |
€0.00 |
|
Total |
€11,083,589.26 |
€11,438,318.69 |
€7,776,162.28 |
