Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2017
636. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the provision which has been made in 2017 under the rural water programme; the facility which has been put in place for local authorities to submit projects for funding in 2017; and if submissions have been received to date. [30956/17]
View answerMy Department's new Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2016 - 2018 was developed through a working group of key stakeholders involving local authorities, the Water Services Transition Office, Irish Water, the National Federation of Group Water Schemes as well as my Department.
Under the new programme there are six different funding measures as follows:
- Measure 1 - Environmental and public health compliance (group water sector): This measure is aimed at improving water quality in existing Group Water Schemes so that they can achieve compliance with the quality parameters of the Drinking Water Regulations 2014.
- Measure 2 - Enhancement of existing schemes (group water sector): This measure supports projects to make existing Group Water Schemes more efficient in their operation (e.g. water conservation, network upgrades and source protection).
- Measure 3 - Rural development (group water sector): This measure supports social and economic development in rural towns and villages and their hinterlands by providing new group water schemes where public water supply schemes or private wells are not an option.
- Measure 4 - Transition of group schemes to Public Water and Waste Water Sector (Irish Water): This measure enables group water and sewerage schemes, where they wish to do with agreement of Irish Water, transition to the public water and waste water sector.
- Measure 5 - Innovation and Research: This measure is aimed at issues in the rural water sector which given the major transition of water services in Ireland, require new and innovative approaches.
- Measure 6 - Individual wells (more commonly called private wells) and on-site wastewater treatment systems (more commonly called septic tanks): This measure is aimed at allowing householders that are dependent on these services to obtain funding support for their improvement.
In May 2017, my Department invited local authorities to submit bids under Measures 1 and 2 of the programme. Bids for Measures 3, 4 and 5 were already invited and approvals made in 2016 on a scheme/project specific basis for the duration of the programme. Measure 6 is a demand led initiative which does not require a specific funding allocation.
In order to maintain momentum in the programme, interim funding allocations issued to local authorities on 13 June 2017 for Measures 2, 3, 4 and 5. Bids under Measure 1 will now be examined by an Expert Panel convened by my Department for approval recommendations which will be on a scheme specific basis. Allocations under Measure 2 are based on a block grant as in previous years. Final funding allocations for all measures will issue to local authorities as quickly as possible.
