Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 November 2021
335. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the grants available from his Department for group sewerage schemes; if he plans to increase the grants; the arrangements in place to enable new group sewerage schemes tie into the Irish Water sewerage network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54304/21]
View answerMy Department’s Multi-annual Rural Water Programme provides capital funding under a number of measures relevant to the Deputy's enquiry on Community Waste Water Connections (called Group Sewerage Schemes in previous multi-annual programmes).
Information on the scope of capital grants and their amounts under the current multi-annual programme were provided to local authorities as part of the bids process under Circular L1/19 on 8 February 2019. The Circular, including the Framework for the Programme, can be found on my Department’s website at this link.
Information on the arrangement in place for the linking of Community Waste Water Connections to the public waste water network can be found on the Irish Water website at this link.
My Department, under the oversight of the Rural Water Working Group, is reviewing the Framework for the upcoming Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2022-2024.
The organisations that are participating on the Working Group reflect the importance and wide ranging impact of the Rural Water Sector. In addition to my Department (Chair), the Working Group comprises of: the Department of Rural and Community Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Health Service Executive, the National Federation of Group Water Schemes and the County and City Management Association. The Working Group is also consulting with other relevant stakeholders, including Irish Water.
The aim of the Framework is to provide guidance to local authorities, private water suppliers and their technical advisors on the process, structure and broader criteria required for the multi-annual programme. In reviewing the Framework the Working Group is also considering emerging demands within the Rural Water Sector, to expand and improve on the previous multi-annual programme.
Under the National Development Plan 2021-2030 funding has been allocated over the period 2021 to 2025 for (non-Irish Water) investment in rural water infrastructure. This includes €175 million for the Rural Water Programme to be delivered through the multi-annual programme.
I expect to receive a submission on the Framework in the coming weeks for my consideration with, subject to my approval, the bids process for the upcoming multi-annual programme to take place early in the new-year.
