Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 May 2010
316 Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 951 of 3 November 2009, the position regarding funding for Cooraclare sewerage scheme, County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19106/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Water Services Investment Programme 2010-2012, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library, provides for the development of a comprehensive range of new water services infrastructure in County Clare. While provision is made to commence contracts to the value of some €38 million in the county during the period of the programme, it was not possible to include the Cooraclare Sewerage Scheme amongst the priority contracts and schemes selected for inclusion.
The new Programme aims to prioritise projects that target environmental compliance issues and support economic and employment growth as envisaged in the Government's policy document Building Ireland's Smart Economy — A Framework for Sustainable Economic Revival. A key input to the development of the Programme was the assessment of needs prepared by local authorities, including Clare County Council, in response to my Department's request to the authorities in 2009 to review and prioritise their proposals for new capital works in their areas. These were subsequently appraised in the Department in the context of the funds available and key criteria that complemented those used by the authorities. Inevitably, through this process, certain projects that had been proposed had to give way to others that are more strategically important at this time.
