Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for allowing me to raise this issue. It concerns the urgent need to improve the sewerage scheme at Kilmallock in County Limerick. The current scheme is 50 years old resulting in environmental and developmental concerns in the village. There is concern that damage is being done to the Loobagh and Maigue rivers as a result of the lack of adequate facilities for sewage disposal in Kilmallock. The existing treatment system is unable to take the loading from the town. There is a serious lack of development in Kilmallock, a matter with which I will deal in greater detail later.

On 31 July 2003, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Cullen, promised, by way of a letter, that the scheme would commence in 2004. When will it commence and what is the expected date of completion? These are two vital questions to which the townspeople, traders and organisations in Kilmallock want answers. The environmental section of the council is anxious to ensure that sewage disposal in Kilmallock complies with EU urban waste water treatment work directives. The cost of the scheme is €9 million and the preliminary report is with the Department awaiting a response.

On 31 May, I was informed by the Minister that the council's brief for the appointment of consultants to prepare the contract documents was under examination by his Department, and that a response would be issued to the council within weeks. I would appreciate it, therefore, if the Minister of State would let me know what developments have taken place since then.

There is serious concern regarding development in the town. A proposal for the construction of 300 houses and a 20-bedroom hotel, which would be of enormous benefit to the town, is dependent upon completion of the sewerage scheme. There is a serious lack of employment opportunities in Kilmallock, which has lost approximately 260 jobs in the past five years, including 120 jobs in Diamond Engineering, 20 in Kerry Group Mill, and 120 in Neo-Data Services. The people of Kilmallock are anxious to renew their town and the development of the sewerage scheme will be crucial in this regard.

In December 2003, Environmental Resources Management Limited presented a report commissioned by the Kilmallock town traders, which outlined 37 recommendations for improvement in the town. Many of them are dependent on the construction of the sewerage scheme. The population in Kilmallock has declined from 1,311 in 1991 to 1,231 in 1996. With proper support and a sewerage scheme, the population, as predicted by Limerick County Council's development plans, could grow to 2,080 by 2021, which represents an increase of 849 people. This is not a minimum or maximum population, but a realistic guide to providing a framework for the provision of housing land and ancillary services in the town for the foreseeable future.

The report by Environmental Resources Management Limited stated that having consulted the townspeople, traders and organisations, a practical vision of the town for the next decade has been developed. That vision includes Kilmallock as an attractive place in which to live with an additional population of 1,000 people. It will be a town with a full range of trading retail availability and full services.

The proposals currently before the Department to develop the town's sewerage scheme will provide for a population equivalent of 4,000 with a possibility for future development. I urge the Minister to address the serious concerns of the townspeople and traders of Kilmallock to ensure the town has an opportunity to expand.

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