Vol. 510 No. 1
121 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the position and projected timescale for the extension of the regional water scheme from Lough Mask to service the areas of Cross, Meale, Kilmaine, Shrule and Long from the pipeline at Ballinrobe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21966/99]
Contract documents for an extension of the Lough Mask regional water supply scheme to Kilmaine and Shrule were submitted to my Department in 1987 but have not been approved. My Department has no such submission relating to Cong. In relation to Neale and Cross, I understand that Mayo County Council is considering water schemes for these areas under the devolved rural water (small schemes) programme.
Schemes not included in the 1999 water and sewerage services investment programme come within the terms of my Department's circular letter L9/98 of 22 October 1998, which asked each local authority to undertake an assessment of the needs for capital works in its area and to prepare a prioritised list of projects based on the assessment. The priority lists will be taken into consideration by my Department in framing future water and sewerage services investment programmes under the next National Development Plan 2000-06. The extension to Kilmaine and Shrule is thirteenth in Mayo County Council's priority list of water supply schemes and the upgrading of Cong water supply is fourteenth.
