Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I will do everything I can to advance the provision of a sewage treatment plant in Kiltormer. If Deputy Kitt sends me an e-mail reiterating the points he has made, I will raise them directly with the Minister, Deputy Hogan. It is important to point out that the Minister and the Department give local authorities a large degree of autonomy to assess their own water and waste water needs. The most recent assessment that was conducted by Galway County Council, which fed into the preparation of the 2010-12 water services investment programme, did not include a proposal for a sewerage scheme in Kiltormer. The first port of call for Deputy Kitt and me - and perhaps other Members of the Oireachtas who represent Galway East - might be the local authority to establish why the scheme in Kiltormer was not prioritised. In fact, it was not even included in the most recent list that was submitted by Galway County Council. As the Deputy suggested, I will seek to ascertain where the €1.1 million fund ended up. Perhaps it was invested in other schemes. It might be found in the depths of the coffers of Galway County Council or the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. I will work with the Deputy and the other Members of the Oireachtas from east Galway to advance this scheme as quickly as possible.

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