Vol. 483 No. 3
297 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government whether he has made the necessary provision to enable local authorities administer new responsibilities in respect of group water schemes and individual household water schemes in rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20492/97]
A sum of £1.5 million was made available and paid to local authorities in 1997 towards the cost of administering the new measures relating to rural water supplies including those referred to in the question. Details of the amount allocated to each local authority are given in Appendix 5 to my Department's Water and Sewerage Services Investment Programme — Annual Report 1997, a copy of which was sent to all Deputies and placed in the Oireachtas Library.
298 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government whether he will improve or enhance the sanitary services programme for the remainder of the period to 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20567/97]
The Government is committed to a significant expansion of the water and sewerage services investment programme over the period referred to in order to meet the environmental and economic objectives of the programme. Evidence of this commitment is contained in the recently published 1998 Estimates for Public Services (Abridged Version) and Summary Public Capital Programme which include a record provision of over £184 million for water and sewerage services in 1998. This represents an increase of £34 million, or over 22 per cent, on the 1997 provision and will facilitate a considerable increase in the level of activity under the investment programme in 1998, including continued progress in the construction of major water and sewerage schemes, the expansion of the rural water programme, the provision of water and sewerage services to open up land for residential and other development, the carrying out of works under the water conservation and other sub-programmes, and continued investment in technical initiatives to improve the cost-effectiveness of works carried out under the investment programme.
