Vol. 572 No. 5
37 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the grants available for group sewerage and water schemes; the plans he has to review these grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23471/03]
Grants of up to 85% of cost, subject to a maximum cost of €7,618 per house, are available for the provision of new group water schemes and for the upgrading of existing schemes. Grants of up to 100% of cost are available for the provision of essential water treatment and disinfection equipment in the case of existing group schemes dependent on quality deficient private sources.
Group sewerage scheme grants of up to 75% of cost, subject to a maximum grant of €2,031 per house, are available for the provision of common or shared wastewater disposal systems. The National Rural Water Monitoring Committee is overseeing the implementation of a pilot programme by local authorities to test a range of new, small scale wastewater collection and treatment systems, based on DBO procurement. Subject to a satisfactory outcome to the pilot testing, the committee envisages a potential role for group sewerage schemes in the collection of domestic wastewater from households outside the catchment of the new treatment systems. The confirmation of such a role for group sewerage schemes and any review of the associated grants must await the results of the pilot programme.
