Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

Many areas will benefit from improved water supplies from the major upgrade planned for the Clareville water treatment plant, improvements to the Shannon estuary water supply scheme and extensions of the Limerick county trunk water mains.

Funding has also been set aside in the water services investment programme for the Kilmallock sewerage scheme. Costing more than €9 million, it has been assigned construction status in the programme and can go to tender immediately once the necessary preliminaries have been completed. It is a substantial infrastructural project that will upgrade and extend the existing sewerage treatment plant and sewage collection network. It will play a major role in allowing Kilmallock to develop while preserving all important environmental standards.

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government approved Limerick County Council's brief for the appointment of consultants to draw up the detailed design and contract documents for the scheme last July. I understand that in the meantime the council has interviewed potential consultants and is about to enter fee negotiations with the selected candidate. How long the contract documents take to produce will be a matter for agreement between the council and the consultants. The tender advertisement and award of contract will follow after that.

I am conscious of the strong case for getting this scheme started quickly. As far as the Minister and his Department are concerned, I am assured that everything possible will be done to avoid unnecessary delays. No doubt Limerick County Council will do the same. A key point is that the necessary funding has been allocated for the scheme in the water services investment programme and the money is available for draw-down by the council as soon as work can start on the ground. The important thing is for the council to push on quickly with the production of contract documents so that tenders for the construction of the scheme can be invited within the shortest possible timescale.

See this speech in context