Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 17 May 2001

Vol. 536 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Water and Sewerage Schemes.

Mr. Fleming

I wish to raise the matter of the Ballyroan sewerage scheme in County Laois, for which the Minister for the Environment and Local Government announced funding on 21 May 1999. I seek an explanation as to why tenders have not yet been sought for the construction of this scheme and why this important project has been delayed. The people of Ballyroan have waited over 27 years for this sewerage scheme and the lack of progress has prevented the natural growth and development of the village.

Ballyroan received good news in 1999 when the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, arrived in County Laois to announce the provision of £500,000 for a badly needed and long overdue sewerage scheme. The Minister went on to say that he was making funding immediately available, which would be distributed by his Department when the local authority was ready to get on with the project. The Minister made it clear that it was Laois County Council's responsibility to deliver the project, but the council has failed the people of Ballyroan. There have been unnecessary delays and the council needs to redeem itself in the eyes of the people of Ballyroan.

Eight months after the Minister's announcement, consultants appointed by Laois County Council produced plans which were put on public display, as is normal in the planning process. Submissions from the general public were invited. An eight month delay in getting to that stage was totally unacceptable but what happened next was far more extraordinary. At the end of the period for public consultation, the consultants reviewed their own plans, prepared just four months earlier, and concluded that they had located the treatment plant for the sewerage works in the wrong location. They decided it was necessary to draw up new plans and to relocate the treatment works further from the centre of the village.

As a result of this decision, new plans were put on public display and further submissions were sought. When advertisements appeared in newspapers for a second time, those in the community were totally confused as they thought it was a repeat of a previous advertisement. It was a brand new notice highlighting new details in relation to the sewerage scheme. It was the summer of 2000 before the second set of plans was put on public display and 12 months had passed since the Minister's announcement that funding was to be made available. It was an unacceptable delay and bad for the people of County Laois.

Lest anyone say that dealing with public authorities to deliver on capital projects takes far more time than dealing with the private sector, it has been proved in County Laois that this is simply not the case. The £50 million midland prison project, seven times the scale of Ballyroan sewerage scheme, has been brought from approval to design and finance within a few years and is now fully operational. A major extension to the hospital in the Portlaoise, costing £25 million, is under construction and it is only a few years since approval was given for drawing up the plans.

The Office of Public Works and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, on one hand, and the Midland Health Board and the Department of Health and Children, on the other, have been able to proceed quickly with major capital projects in County Laois, but Laois County Council has not been in a position to do likewise. I demand that Laois County Council ensure this job goes to tender without further delay, that it appoint contractors immediately, that work commence on this project this year and that it guarantee a start and completion date for it.

The political will for this project exists. Funding has been provided at political level. As a new Fianna Fáil Deputy representing Laois-Offaly, I am pleased we have demonstrated the political will and provided the funding for this project. It is up to Laois County Council to deliver the job.

The latest cost estimate for this project is £800,000 and projects under £1 million do not require to be submitted to the Department of the Environment and Local Government for approval before going to tender. This project is, therefore, clearly in the hands of Laois County Council.

From Laois's perspective, it is a shame that when funding is made available by the Government at national level for this project we are not able to get our act together at local level to advance it. I look forward to hearing the Minister's response and to work getting under way on this scheme.

Mr. M. Smith

My colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, is unable to be in the House this evening to respond to this matter and has asked me to do so on his behalf. I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and for the contribution he has made on it.

As we are all aware, there has been remarkable social and economic growth in Ireland over the past few years and this has been reflected in a corresponding expansion and broadening of the water and sewerage services investment programme. Total planned investment in water and sewerage services over the period of the national development plan is almost £3 billion, of which £2.4 billion is for major public schemes. The Government is focusing on providing water and waste water services required to support economic and social development, employment generation, maintenance of high growth rates and the achievement of high environmental standards.

The Minister announced last July the first phase of the water services investment programme, covering the years 2000-02, the beginning of a rolling three year programme that will continue up to the end of the national development plan in 2006. Funding is being provided for new projects in every county, with total investment envisaged for Laois under the 2000-02 programme amounting to more than £23 million.

The Ballyroan sewerage scheme has been fully approved for funding under the rural towns and villages initiative. This initiative provides support for the development of rural towns and villages and for combating rural depopulation. It targets those rural towns and villages that have not ben efited from EU funding to the same degree as larger towns and cities because of the need to concentrate on meeting EU requirements relating to drinking water and waste water treatment standards.

The Ballyroan sewerage scheme, estimated to cost £800,000, will provide a new foul sewer network and secondary treatment facilities. The provision of these treatment facilities will ensure that any danger of pollution of the local watercourse is eliminated and that any development potential in the area can be realised.

When the scheme was approved, and in line with the devolution of responsibility to local authorities for the approval of certain elements of capital water services projects, Laois County Council was advised it could proceed immediately to seek tenders for it. It is not necessary for the council to submit a tender recommendation to the Department for approval unless it proposes to accept other than the lowest bid.

It is clear from the foregoing it is entirely a matter for Laois County Council to progress this scheme to construction. The money has been provided in the water services programme and the Minister wishes to see the work started as quickly as possible.

It is important local authorities gear up to ensure services of this kind are provided in areas such as Ballyroan. I welcome Deputy Fleming's initiative to ensuring this work can get under way at the earliest possible time.

The Dáil adjourned at 5.25 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 22 May 2001.