I propose to take Questions Nos. 122, 313, 316 and 317 together.
Local authorities were asked by my Department in 2006 to carry out detailed assessments of the needs for capital water services infrastructure in their areas and to prioritise their assessments, taking account, inter alia, of:
national and EU environmental and public health requirements and standards, including the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, the Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulations, 2001 and the European Communities (Drinking Water) Regulations, 2000,
relevant reports produced by the Environmental Protection Agency, on the quality of drinking water, on water quality generally and on urban wastewater discharges,
specific reports and studies such as the National Urban Waste Water Study, County Sludge Management Plans and any other relevant studies/reports commissioned locally,
the provisions of their Development Plans or any draft Development Plans and any strategic regional planning guidelines or local area plans,
National Spatial Strategy objectives,
Any remaining non-compliant water schemes listed in Annex 12 of the EU Commission's application to the European Court of Justice in respect of Ireland's implementation of the Drinking Water Directive,
the adequacy of existing collection networks and, in the case of anticipated development, the adequacy of the capacity of existing treatment plants,
the need for continued support for social and economic activity and development,
the need to address infrastructural deficits in small rural towns, and
River Basin District Management Projects and Characterisation Reports completed in 2005 under the Water Framework Directive.
The priorities adopted by the local authority elected members in their 2006 needs assessments were taken into account in the preparation of the €5.8 billion Water Services Investment Programme 2007-2009 which I published in September 2007 and which is available in the Oireachtas Library. Details of individual needs assessments may be obtained from the relevant local authorities.
