asked the Minister for Local Government what progress has been made to date on the Rahan group water supply scheme, County Offaly; and on what date he expects to sanction this scheme.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Water and Sewerage Schemes.
68.
The scheme has been designed to serve 400 houses at an estimated cost of £93,000. At present, the estimated income available to the group——
A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, would you ask the Minister to repeat the answer because I was unable to hear what he was saying?
I have not read it all yet.
Start it again. You have read part of it.
That is all right. Go ahead.
——by way of grants and individual contributions is insufficient to meet the cost involved. Accordingly, the technical and financial aspects of the scheme are being reexamined by my Department. The promoter has also been requested to indicate whether the group would be prepared to give an undertaking to increase the average individual contribution to £60.
It is not possible at this stage to say when the scheme will be sanctioned.
The original request was for a sum of £12,000, an average of £30 per house. This was met by the people involved in this 400 house scheme which covers an area of 50 miles approximately. It covers the Blueball, Rahan, Screggan, Ballard, and Clara Road areas. The people met their obligations at the time. At this stage——
Is the Deputy putting a question?
I am. Would the Minister not agree that the sum of £30 which was subscribed was sufficient? That was the original request?
It is not sufficient. If it were sufficient it would be going ahead.
That is what was originally requested.
It is not sufficient.
That was the amount originally requested by the Minister's Department so far as I am aware.
My Department do not request anything.
They send down engineers.
My Department give a grant.
The officials from the Department gave an estimate and the people were asked to contribute £12,000 and they have, in fact, got that £12,000.
The position is that my Department pay grants on these schemes and the groups themselves raise the remainder. Thirty pounds per house is not sufficient to finance the scheme as designed and the technical and financial aspects are being reexamined. In the meantime, the group are being asked if they would be prepared to increase the individual contributions to £60.
Question No. 69.
That is exactly double what the people were originally asked to contribute.
That is what it costs.
In view of the fact that when a person is installing a private water supply he gets a grant from the Department of Agriculture, and that all over the country many thousands of people have been supplied with group water schemes, would the Minister not agree that it would be a good thing if, in fact, he made some arrangement with the Department of Agriculture in regard to this matter so that——
That would seem to be a different question.
Nevertheless, I feel it is relevant in regard to this case—so that the Department of Agriculture and the Minister's Department might make an extra contribution?
The Department of Agriculture scheme is available to anyone who wants to avail of it. Group schemes are available for groups who want to instal a group water supply scheme. An individual can make his choice as to which scheme he opts for.
That is not quite accurate in that if a person goes——
They would be foolish to go for both, of course.
If there is a group water scheme planned in an area then a person will not get grants from the Minister's Department.
This is a discussion rather than a question.
He is a sincere young man, I think.
The Minister would like to encourage him in politics.
It is a pity the same cannot be said for the Minister.
I should like to know if the Minister would give Offaly County Council permission to go ahead with headworks in this scheme if the participants are willing to subscribe the £60 per house?
I think that would solve the problem.
69.
Mr. Dunne
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will expedite sanction for the proposal for the taking of a supplementary water supply from the River Suir to a reservoir as submitted by Templemore Urban District Council on 21st August, 1969.
I hope to convey a decision on this proposal shortly.
70.
Mr. Dunne
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will sanction proposals submitted by North Tipperary County Council for the installation of water supply in the Killeen-Riverstown area.
As the local authority have not acceded to my request for the submission of a priority list of the water and sewerage schemes in planning in their area I cannot say what degree of priority they wish to attach to this scheme.
71.
asked the Minister for Local Government when he intends to sanction the water supply schemes for (a) Rathnew to Cronakery, (b) Ashford to Killiskey and (c) Bahana to Rathdrum, County Wicklow.
There are no proposals before my Department for a water supply extension from Bahana to Rathdrum. Having regard to the necessity at present to conserve capital for housing and other essential services I cannot say when a decision on the two other schemes is likely to issue.
72.
asked the Minister for Local Government whether he is aware of the serious inadequacy of the domestic water supply in parts of Finglas, Ballymun, Cabra and Phibsboro, Dublin; and if the Dublin Corporation will correct the position immediately.
I am not so aware. The initiation of measures to remedy such defects would be one for the sanitary authority concerned.
73.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of the serious delay in sanction of the proposed water supply scheme for Ballina, County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The preliminary proposals submitted by Ballina Urban Council for a new water distribution system for the town were approved by me on the 28th July, 1969. Contract documents for stage 1 of the Ballina regional scheme, which will augment the town supply, were received in my Department on the 7th January, 1970, and are under examination.
Is the Minister aware that on last Monday night we had a meeting of Mayo County Council at which Councillor Seán Calleary, son of Deputy Calleary——
There is no Deputy Calleary.
——complained very strongly about this long delay. He attributed the delay to the fact that money was not available for such schemes and was not likely to be in the future. In fact, he made the point that we should press it here.
This would seem to be getting away from the question.
I am asking the Minister if he can do anything to provide this type of thing because I would be very sorry indeed if the Calleary family were short of water.
Whatever about something to do.
These documents have not been very long in my Department and they are under examination there.
74.
asked the Minister for Local Government when water gaugings and bacteriological reports on the water proposed for the Jenkinstown, County Louth, water scheme were forwarded to his Department; and when some action on these reports may be expected.
The reports on the bacteriological and chemical analyses, together with gauge readings on the proposed source, were received in my Department on 22nd December, 1969. These are under examination by my technical advisers. A decision on the matter will be given shortly.
75.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will clearly indicate in so far as his Department is concerned the position regarding the water supply to the town of Borris-in-Ossory, County Laois, with special reference to the group water supply; the steps to be taken to supply the residents of the town with an immediate supply of water as this matter has been in hands for several years and to date has not been disposed of to the satisfaction of the townspeople; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Preliminary proposals for a public water supply scheme for the town of Borris-in-Ossory were received in my Department on the 5th January, 1970, and are under examination. I hope to convey a decision thereon shortly.
In so far as the town is concerned the group scheme will be superseded by the present proposal.
76.
asked the Minister for Local Government on what date application was received in his Department for sanction to the Bayview, Monkstown, sewer extension, County Cork, from the southern committee of the Cork County Council; and when he is prepared to give sanction.
Having regard to the necessity to conserve available capital for housing and other essential services, only those sanitary services schemes of the highest priority can be allowed to proceed at the present time. On this basis I am not in a position to say when a decision will issue on this proposal, which was submitted to my Department on 17th February, 1969.
Shortage of money again.
There is more money available for this purpose than ever before. There is not either sufficient money or sufficient constructional capacity available to do all these schemes at the one time. It is neither physically nor financially possible to do them all together.
You have not a bag of cement now.
That is because the cement factory is on strike.
The memory of '56 still haunts you.
77.
asked the Minister for Local Government the method of financing the proposed scheme of Dublin Corporation to lay a sewer parallel with the Grand Canal; the cost of the original scheme and the cost of the proposed new scheme; and the amount which will be borne by the municipal rates.
The scheme referred to by the Deputy will be financed in the normal way from the capital allocations of the Dublin Corporation and the Dublin County Council. Contributions by way of subsidy will be payable by my Department.
The cost of the scheme as originally mooted in 1964 was £1.13m.; the current estimated cost is £4.5m. These costs are not comparable, however, for a number of reasons, including the fact that the present scheme is designed to serve a considerably greater area than was intended under the original proposal and that the section of the Grand Canal which it was originally intended to close permanently will now be preserved.
I understand that the city manager has estimated that the net cost falling on the municipal rate as a result of the construction of the scheme would be 9d. in the £.
78.
asked the Minister for Local Government when he intends to give sanction for the new sewerage scheme at Dunbur Estate, Wicklow town.
My approval issued on 5th January, 1970, to the acceptance of a tender for this scheme.
79.
asked the Minister for Local Government why the Tallaght sewage system was not connected to the Firhouse system, County Dublin, instead of emptying into the River Dodder; and if he will now require the Dublin County Council to provide an alternative disposal system.
The Firhouse drainage system is designed to cater for only a small number of houses and I am advised that it could not take the Tallaght sewage. Provision is being made, however, to have the Tallaght system connected to the new Dodder Valley sewer in due course.
80.
asked the Minister for Local Government when it is expected work will commence on the Kilmacrennan - Creeslough - Carrigart sewerage scheme, County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
While I approved of the acceptance of a tender and the raising of a loan for this scheme some weeks ago, I am not in a position to say when work on the project will be commenced. This is a matter for the local authority.