Vol. 528 No. 1
281 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if, further to his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 270 of 5 December 2000, he will reply specifically to the general queries detailed in the question and not the particular sewerage scheme mentioned in his reply. [29515/00]
Depending on the type of PPP approach that is adopted in a particular case, be it by design-build, design-build-operate, or through the provision of a long-term service contract, there will be significant variations in the arrangements governing the management and operation of a sewerage treatment plant. In the case of a DBO contract or any long-term service contract, operation and maintenance of the plant will be the responsibility of a private company under a contract awarded by the local authority concerned. In the case of DB contracts the local authority will operate and maintain the plant.
Earlier this year I arranged for the publication of a report by consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers on a policy framework for public private partnerships which provides general guidance on how the PPP approach is likely to operate within the roads, water services and waste management sectors. A copy of the report is available in the Oireachtas library.
Following on from this report the Department of Finance, in conjunction with the social partners and in line with the provisions of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, will be publishing further guidance in the form of a framework document setting out the principles governing the choice and implementation of PPP projects generally.
I would like to make it clear, however, that it is envisaged that sewerage treatment plants will remain within public ownership and that no change is proposed in the position regarding domestic water and sewerage charges which were abolished under the Local Government (Financial Provisions) Act, 1997.
