Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 3 Jul 1991

Vol. 410 No. 3

Adjournment Debate. - Environment and Health Matters.

Mr. Deenihan:

Stage 4 of Tralee group water scheme will involve the areas of Doon, Listellick, Larharn, Lissanearla, Gurrane, Killeen, Ballyroe and Curravaugh.

In the Ballyroe area the local organiser collected over £7,000 in 1990. Small sums of money were collected in the rest of the area over five years ago. This whole area is very densely populated. There are a number of people involved in farming, agri-tourism and in the guesthouse business. The quality of water from bored wells is very poor in this locality. The supply is also inadequate and unpredictable.

I would remind the Minister that payments are still due to the contractor for work on stages 1 and 2 of Tralee regional water scheme despite an announcement in the Dáil that a special allocation of £5,000 would be made for increased pipe sizes recently to enable stage 3 to go ahead. The group have not been informed to date of this allocation.

In regard to stage 4 will the Minister make an announcement here tonight as to when the necessary funds will be available so that work can begin as soon as possible. The people are very anxious to know. They are very disillusioned and frustrated at the moment. At this stage they have waited too long. I appeal to the Minister to make a clear statement here tonight as to when he will provide finance to enable stage 4 of Tralee group water scheme to go ahead.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment (Mr. Connolly):

The Farmer's Bridge scheme is being developed in five separate phases. It will serve up to 1,000 households and farms when fully completed.

Phases 1 and 2 are almost complete and serve over 600 houses and farms. State grants of nearly £900,000 have been paid to date. Works are in progress on phase 3 which will serve 250 households and 100 farms and extend the public water supply to the villages of Cappagh, Abbeydorney and Kilflynn.

For phase 4, design data has been submitted to Kerry County Council whose approval was conditional on upsizing of the trunk main to regional scheme specification. The matter is being examined by my Department at present and following this, the group will be asked to submit tenders for the works. It is too early to indicate when he will be in a position to approve grants for this phase. This matter is being looked into in regard to design data and we will be in touch with the local authority in due course.

Mr. Deenihan:

I would remind the Minister that the group were not informed of the allocation for stage 3.

Asdee group water scheme will service an area of 110 square miles and serve over 400 householders. To date 300 householders have expressed interest in the scheme. The group was formed in 1986 and all preparatory work has been carried out. The scheme can only go ahead when three reservoirs are provided on Knockanore Hill. These will provide the water source for the Asdee scheme.

I understand that Kerry County Council are awaiting funding from the Department to enable work on the reservoirs to commence. The Asdee area is densely populated and the population includes a large number of farmers, people involved in the guesthouse business etc. These people have a major dependence on a good water supply.

Over 90 per cent of the county has mains water supply. The people of Asdee are prepared to wait no longer. They are disillusioned and frustrated now and they cannot understand why they should be in the remaining 10 per cent of the county which is not served with main's supply, because after all this is an area on the main road between Limerick and Ballybunion. I would like the Minister to respond positively tonight on this scheme.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment (Mr. Connolly):

As the Deputy knows, the proposed group water scheme for Asdee has been designed on the basis that the area can be served by the Listowel regional water supply scheme. Kerry County Council have submitted plans for the extension of the Listowel scheme to supply the Asdee area and to provide the necessary trunk mains and the reservoirs to facilitate the development of the group scheme. The contract documents for this scheme are being examined in my Department. The allocation of grants for the Asdee scheme will be considered further when a decision is made on the extension to the Listowel scheme.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle:

We will now hear a two minute statement from Deputy Cullimore.

Mr. Cullimore:

I would ask the Minister to impress on local authorities the immediate need to introduce a uniform disc parking system. At the moment tourists are being totally confused by the different systems in operation in towns. A great deal of confusion could be eliminated by the introduction of a uniform disc which could be used in any town.

Parking problems are more of an irritant than a major cause for complaint among the one million plus visitors who travel to this country and use cars. Some 350,000 visitors travel in their own cars, while 200,000 more people drive hired cars. Taking an average of two people per car, that is a sizeable proportion of the 2.8 million visitors who come here annually. The motoring holiday is still a major attraction to visitors and we should do all we can to expand potential in this area. The same parking disc cannot be used in any two towns throughout the country. This is annoying and it is a bone of contention with the Irish motorist and the tourist. The Minister should compel the local authorities to introduce a standard parking disc.

Mr. Connolly:

Local traffic and parking by-laws, which are made by the Garda Commissioner in consultation with local authorities, enable the local authorities to introduce disc parking controls in their areas. Discs purchased in one area are not valid in another area. My Department have already raised this question with the city and county managers who have indicated their agreement in principle to recognise all discs in all areas. The Garda Commissioner has been asked by my Department to consider the legal provisions necessary to allow for this.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle:

We will now hear a two minute statement from Deputy Jim Higgins.

Mr. J. Higgins:

Each week 12 Mayo patients must make round trips of up to 250 miles in some cases to a hospital in Galway for essential life preserving kidney dialysis treatment. In some cases trips have to be made more than once per week. The patients are ferried in taxis contracted by the Western Health Board. Over the last number of years there has been a keen appreciation in Mayo of the need for a kidney dialysis unit. Numerous fund raising exercises were undertaken. One of the most publicised was a sponsored national cycle by the Garda Síochána Cycling Club. Various Mayo associations in other parts of the country and indeed in Manchester and in other cities overseas have given cheques amounting to several thousands of pounds. The total funds now lodged in the bank at Castlebar are in excess of £130,000, a considerable sum by any standards and a massive indication of public awareness and demand for such a service. The fund raisers are more than willing to commit the total amount towards the equipping of the General Hospital in Castlebar with a dialysis unit. I understand that the accommodation has been suitably identified and made available by the hospital authorities. There is a keen anxiety on the part of the consultant staff to provide the service. I understand that the trained personnel are ready, willing and available.

Of course, there is a cost factor involved. I appreciate that the Western Health Board are terribly overstretched and cannot manage within their existing resources. I would ask the Minister not to advance again in this House the argument trotted out time and time again that the Western Health Board have been assigned a budget and that they should decide on priorities. The Western Health Board do not have sufficient resources to cope adequately with the current essential needs. Castlebar is a new modern general hospital, phase one of which has only been recently brought into commission. The demand for dialysis will not go away. Indeed, the likelihood is that the demand for the service will grow and intensify. I appeal strongly to the Minister to make an additional budget allocation available to the Western Health Board on an annual basis to provide for the equipment, the servicing of it and the running costs of the dialysis service.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Mr. Flood):

I am glad to have this opportunity to clarify the position concerning a dialysis unit at Castlebar General Hospital. The provision of dialysis treatment in the Castlebar area is a matter for the Western Health Board in the first instance. Patients from the Castlebar area currently receive dialysis treatment at Merlin Park Regional Hospital, Galway. I would be glad to see the dialysis unit established and providing a service to patients in the Castlebar area, provided the running costs of the unit can be met from the Western Health Board's allocation. Consideration is being given to this proposal by my Department in the context of resources which are available for the health services generally and having regard to the board's priority for new service developments in their area.

The Dáil adjourned at 12.10 a.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday 4 July 1991.