Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 176: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if capital funding is available for schools to enable them to install rainwater collection and recycling systems; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27057/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Rainwater harvesting systems were first introduced for major school building projects in 2008. Since then all major school building projects, where site conditions and circumstances allow and where economically viable to do so, can incorporate a rainwater harvesting system into their brief. While fitting the systems in new schools during construction is relatively straightforward, retrofitting them in existing schools is much more difficult and expensive because of the various dedicated pipe work systems both within the building and externally underground and the amount of making good work that is required in each instance.

For existing buildings it is more cost effective to minimise the demand for water firstly through push type spray taps, low flushing toilets, urinal controls, repairing leaks, etc. In that context, as the Deputy will be aware, schools were invited to apply for funding for water conservation measures as part of the Summer Works Scheme for 2010. I announced details of the successful applicants under the mainstream Summer Works Scheme on 19 April last. The applications for water conservation measures as part of the Scheme are to be processed separately. However, work on processing these applications has not yet begun due to industrial action on the part of some staff in the Department.