Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

The Minister expressed concern in this area. When local authorities now see a planning application, they look for a means of refusing it rather than granting it. They look negatively at any rural housing situation and the criteria for granting such permission are being tightened. In my constituency, in terms of T-values, in the percolation test, a value of more than 90-T now means a planning application will be refused, whereas in some years ago, the figure was 240. Not even proprietary systems are now accepted.

There are other restrictions too. In a recent situation, a farmer's house was some distance away from his farm. He had a pre-planning discussion to build a house on his farm as his own house, though habitable, was sub-standard. He was informed by the planner that he would get permission to build a house on his farm provided he knocked the house he was in, because he would then have a need. Because he had no need, he would not get planning permission. The house was probably valued at a little more than €100,000 and he wanted to improve his housing conditions as well as live on his farm. That is the attitude we experience.

There is merit in the suggestion that planning permission and housing development proposals should be dealt with in our towns and villages. We support that laudable proposal, but in our area we have a serious problem, as that cannot happen because our towns and villages are not serviced, especially with sewerage schemes. I raised this issue in the Dáil before. We are regularly being informed by Limerick County Council that when it submits information to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, further information is asked for repeatedly.

The Minister allocated €11.5 million this year for rural water programmes in County Limerick, which we welcome. There are 19 group water schemes to be upgraded. This works well because Limerick County Council has control of how it allocates that money. That approach works very efficiently in decisions being made at local level on how to spend moneys on infrastructural development. However, there is a problem when we come to the larger projects, the development of sewerage schemes in our towns and villages. In west Limerick I refer in particular to Askeaton, Shanagolden, Foynes, Athea, Pallaskenry, Dromcolligher, Adare, Patrickswell, Bruff and Kilmallock. Limerick County Council has to deal with various hurdles and hoops in order to progress such projects with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Much has been said about relaxing controls on local authorities, but the level of control operated by the Department on the development of the schemes to which I referred is so inhibiting that it is almost like a formula not to progress these schemes. It is as if the Department has a formula whereby it can frustrate the schemes being developed, rather than allowing the local authorities to get on with what they know best, how to develop the infrastructure and sewerage schemes in the county.

I ask the Minister to allocate funds in the same way he does for the rural water programme, and allocate sufficient monies, through the councils and with their agreement, to develop the schemes, leaving the councils more control rather than this demand for further information and putting councils through hoops.

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