Godfrey Timmins
Ceist:22 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for the Environment if he will provide specific funding to county councils for the provision of sewerage schemes for small towns and villages. [12326/96]
Written Answers. - Sewerage Schemes.
This year, my Department is providing £121.8 million for water and sewerage services, an increase in real terms of 10 per cent over the 1995 outturn. This represents one of the largest investments in these services ever undertaken. While a significant part of the programme is directed at the larger urban centres where the needs of industry, tourism and the domestic sectors are most acute, it also contributes substantially to the provision of services in small towns and villages. Of the 50 new schemes scheduled to commence construction under the main water and sewerage programme in 1996, some 15 of them with an overall value of over £28 million will provide new and upgraded sewerage facilities at various small towns and villages around the country.
In addition to the projects financed under the main programme, my Department's small schemes programme is aimed specifically at meeting the urgent water and sewerage needs of small towns and villages. This year, up to £4 million has been set aside for these schemes and so far, a first tranche of 30 schemes, 15 of which are sewerage schemes, has been approved.
A further £4 million, co-funded by INTERREG II, is being provided for the provision of additional small water and sewerage schemes for towns and villages in Border counties over the period 1995-99. Some 50 such projects, 25 of them sewerage schemes, have been approved for construction.
This year, a new sub-programme, costing over £3 million, was introduced to provide improved water supply at three resort centres and improved sewerage services at six resort centres. These are, for the most part, small seaside towns, and the schemes will facilitate tourism and other development locally.