Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 May 2017
472. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the criteria used to allocate funding to local authorities for water services; the allocation to each local authority in 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19924/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI presume the Question is referring to allocations to each local authority in 2016 and to date in 2017 under my Department’s new Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2016-2018 which was developed through a working group of key stakeholders involving local authorities, the Water Services Transition Office, Irish Water, the National Federation of Group Water Schemes as well as my Department.
Under the new Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2016 - 2018 there are six different funding measures as follows:
- Measure 1 - Environmental and public health compliance (group water sector): The measure is aimed at improving water quality in existing Group Water Schemes so that they can achieve compliance with the parameters of the Drinking Water Regulations, 2014.
- Measure 2 - Enhancement of existing schemes (group water sector): This measure supports projects to make Group Water Schemes more efficient in their operation (e.g. water conservation, network upgrades and source protection).
- Measure 3 - Rural development (group water sector): This measure supports social and economic development in rural towns and villages and their hinterlands by providing new group water schemes where public water supply schemes or private wells are not an option.
- Measure 4 – Transition of group schemes to Public Water and Waste Water Sector (Irish Water): This measure enables group water and sewerage schemes, where they wish to do so and with agreement of Irish Water, transition to the public water and waste water sector.
- Measure 5 - Innovation and Research: This measure is aimed at issues in the rural water sector which, given the major transition of water services in Ireland, require new and innovative approaches.
- Measure 6 - Individual wells and on-site wastewater treatment systems (septic tanks): This measure is aimed at allowing householders that are dependent on these services to obtain funding support for their improvement.
While 2016 marked the first year in transitioning to a new multi-annual funding framework, the new programme also marks a move to scheme/project specific allocations, rather than reliance on block grants, the object of which is to provide enhanced funding certainty for priority investment needs in the rural water sector.
An Expert Panel was convened by my Department to examine the 2016 bids from local authorities under a number of the programme’s measures, namely, Measure 1 (in respect of some sub-measures only) and Measures 3, 4 and 5. The Panel prepared a report on its consideration of the bids received under these measures. My Department accepted the recommendations of the Panel in full in making funding allocations in 2016 to local authorities. A copy of the Panel’s report which includes the evaluation criteria used to recommend schemes/projects under the programme for these measures, is available on my Department’s website at:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/water/water-services/rural-water-programme/group-water-schemes-and-rural-water-issues.
Funding to local authorities under Measure 1 (excluding sub-measures examined by the Panel) and Measure 2 were a block grant, as in previous years, with the amounts based on a combination of factors, in particular the bid amount, and the extent of, and issues with, group water schemes in the authority area.
There are no specific allocations for funding under Measure 6 as it is demand-led.
The table sets out the allocations to each county in 2016 under the programme.
|
Local Authority |
Amount allocated in 2016 |
|
Carlow |
€53,000 |
|
Cavan |
€363,500 |
|
Clare |
€410,100 |
|
Cork |
€434,000 |
|
Donegal |
€390,100 |
|
Galway |
€2,617,040 |
|
Kerry |
€692,550 |
|
Kildare |
€86,000 |
|
Kilkenny |
€269,000 |
|
Laois |
€387,250 |
|
Leitrim |
€238,675 |
|
Limerick |
€595,100 |
|
Longford |
€60,000 |
|
Louth |
€235,075 |
|
Mayo |
€5,678,800 |
|
Meath |
€208,000 |
|
Monaghan |
€404,710 |
|
Offaly |
€204,150 |
|
Roscommon |
€608,000 |
|
Sligo |
€191,650 |
|
Tipperary |
€308,165 |
|
Waterford |
€50,000 |
|
Westmeath |
€25,400 |
|
Wexford |
€206,015 |
|
Wicklow |
€154,000 |
|
Total |
€14,870,280 |
Local authorities will be shortly invited to submit bids under the programme for 2017 following which funding allocations will be made.
