Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)

I raise the Kilcummin and Waterville sewerage schemes together because the failure to proceed with both schemes is having a massive impact on amenities in my constituency. With regard to the Kilcummin scheme, for many years the local authority and local residents sought a sewage treatment plant for the area. In 2007 the Government sanctioned a scheme to bring sewage from Kilcummin to the treatment facility in Killarney. No progress has been made since.

The roads in the Kilcummin area are in a deplorable state. The local authority has taken a decision, with which I do not disagree, not to upgrade local roads until the sewerage scheme is completed. Residents of the area are suffering on two fronts because they do not have a sewage treatment facility and on the basis that the local authority has refused to upgrade local roads until a facility is developed. The proximity of Kilcummin to the Lakes of Killarney - the area is three miles north of Killarney - makes it vital that the construction of a sewage treatment facility proceeds. As the Minister of State will be aware, the Lakes of Killarney have suffered in recent years from algae bloom and unacceptably high levels of phosphates. This amenity will be lost if a sewage treatment facility is not put in place immediately.

A sewerage scheme for Waterville has been sanctioned and featured on list after list during the years but funding has been held up in the Department. As a seaside resort, it is unacceptable that raw sewage is being emitted into the sea at Waterville. Residents will no longer tolerate this. We have heard about all the great work done during the Celtic tiger but priorities were misplaced during the period. It is unacceptable that, despite approval being granted, work has not proceeded on sewerage schemes in an area close to the Lakes of Killarney and in a seaside resort.

I ask the Department to provide funding to enable Kerry County Council to carry out the required works immediately. I also request that the Minister include the sewerage schemes for Waterville and Kilcummin in the water services investment programme 2010-12 which is due to be announced this month. I plead with him to make available this vital funding.

I thank the office of the Ceann Comhairle for providing me with a timely opportunity to raise this matter.

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