Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 February 2022
346. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a case (details supplied) will be reviewed; if advice will be provided on an issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9234/22]
View answerIn 2019, my Department’s Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2019-2021 allocated €350,000 to the group water scheme referred to in the details supplied for water treatment improvements. I understand that the local authority have sought an increase of this funding. There has been ongoing correspondence between the local authority and my Department on the matter with further information being requested and awaited.
Under the Rural Water Programme an annual subsidy is payable by local authorities to group water schemes towards their operational and management costs of supplying water for domestic use. An essential requirement of schemes availing of the subsidy is that they carry out water conservation including actively managing water leakage.
In addition the multi-annual programme also supports projects to make schemes more efficient in their operation (e.g. water conservation and network upgrades) thus contributing to good water quality on a consistent sustainable long-term basis. In order to avail of funding under both the annual subsidy and the multi-annual programme schemes are expected to adopt the most sustainable approach to resolution of issues.
