Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to speak briefly about the budget and will concentrate on those areas for which I have responsibility in conjunction with the two Ministers from the Green Party — the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, and the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Ryan.

In respect of water services infrastructure, which is a hugely important element of the work of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, I welcome the fact that a 10% increase is provided for the water services investment programme for 2008. This is enormously important in a programme that has been rolled out very strongly over the past two or three years, initially in the greater centres of population in response to difficulties relating to the transposition of European directives and water standards arising from them. The programme is gradually being extended. The current programme for the next three years, which was announced by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in September, will include provision for all areas with a population of over 1,000 and a great many under that. This 10% increase will enable us to undertake the kind of works which would be required at the current level through 2008. It comes on the back of an additional allocation of €50 million, which was budgeted for and went through committee on Tuesday last.

Drinking water standards are hugely important. Wastewater treatment plants and treatment plants for the water supply are one of the critical elements in this area. Ultimately, the new wastewater treatment plants play a critical role in protecting and preserving the quality of rivers, lakes, estuaries and marine waters and are hugely important.

We must also bear in mind that water conservation measures are hugely important. They have gradually been advanced by the Department over recent years. I understand that the average usage per person is as much as 140 litres per person per day in some areas, but over 250 litres in other areas. Water conservation is one area where we are trying to make progress and where we are working closely with local authorities in various schemes to achieve it because it is not in our interests to spend huge amounts of money on treating water which is subsequently wasted either at the level of the consumer or, sometimes, at the level of the network. Tremendous work is underway in addressing those networks which need to be updated.

The revised drinking water regulations were made earlier this year, with a view to ensuring that all drinking water supplies are consistently monitored and supervised and that where quality problems arise, measures are taken to systematically address them. The Environmental Protection Agency has responsibility for monitoring and enforcement of public water supplies operated by local authorities. Local authorities, in turn, have responsibility for those schemes operated voluntarily by the group water schemes sector. Under the new regulations, those monitoring programmes by the local authorities are subject to approval by the Environmental Protection Agency. We will see a major increase in the amount of monitoring. Arising from this, problems will emerge about which we would not have known.

We will have a campaign to ensure quality in all public supplies and private group water scheme supplies. The Waste Water Discharge (Authorisation) Regulation of 2007 was recently signed into law. These regulations provide for authorisation by the EPA of discharges from local authority waste water treatment works and collection systems released to all types of receiving waters. The EPA will monitor compliance with the regulations and will prosecute offences including any failure of local authorities to comply with conditions attaching to an authorisation.

The budget for the fire services has increased by 15%. It is operated by 37 local fire authorities and the strategy of the Department is to assist and support local authorities in the role of protecting people, property and local infrastructure in fire and other emergency situations.

Continued participation in EU civil protection matters will also feature prominently in the work of the section. The 2008 fire services capital programme will provide funding for the construction and upgrading of fire stations and the procurement of fire appliances and specialised equipment. There has been a significant increase in capital investment in the fire services and this will continue in the 15% increase in the provision for this year. Over the past nine years, €165 million has been provided in grants to the fire services, a considerable increase on previous years. I hope it will continue for a number of years into the future.

The fire services change programme is being implemented. The two year phase has been completed and options for further development of the fire and emergency services will be informed by the findings. The implementation programme for the new framework for major emergency management was approved by Government on 30 May 2006. The 2008 fund will provide for a central fund for regional steering groups to support and assist them in carrying out tasks assigned to them under the framework for major emergency management as well as the organisation of information seminars to assist and support local authorities in their efforts to prepare and update major emergency plans.

I welcome the provision of €54 million for broadband infrastructure. I also welcome the move towards next generation networks and the commitment to energy research. We can take advantage of the wind, wave and tidal resources outlined by Deputy Coveney. If properly harnessed these could put us in a prominent position to produce energy. We must have energy conservation and efficiency measures, such as the building energy efficiency ratings. These contribute to a lower requirement for energy that is becoming more expensive, such as when oil hits $100 a barrel.

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