Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The transport scheme was one I tried to get into my Department. I think there is approximately €16 million available for RuralLink between the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. My Department would be the ideal fit for it. I am sure it can be negotiated at a later date. This is a new Department and we need to look at anything that would assist rural Ireland, including the rural social scheme. There is a debate on it taking place between my Department and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. My Department would be the ideal fit for the rural social scheme and other social schemes. Deputy Ó Cuív was a member of the Government that established the scheme. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection covers activation programmes. It only wants to get people back to work. It is about the live register. The rural social scheme and others are community schemes that work very well and we would be in a great deal of difficulty if we did not have them as they do a great deal of fine work. I have always been a strong supporter of the rural social scheme and want to keep such schemes going.

The issue of water and sewerage schemes has been raised by many Deputies. I am getting my officials to talk to officials in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government about them. I do not have a problem with trying to find funding to support group water and sewerage schemes, but it is not my job to provide the bulk of the money. We should support the scheme within the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. That is why we are talking to officials of that Department and I am talking to the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy. I have discussed with him the fact that something must be done about small sewerage schemes. I see no difficulty with my Department having a scheme to top up small water and sewerage schemes, but it will not be the lead Department.