John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The review will be completed by the middle of this year. I think there were 83 applications - it was somewhere in the low 80s - from groups for the original scheme but only six were chosen. The scheme was for demonstrative purposes. There are quite a few schemes. Deputy Moynihan previously raised with me a scheme in his area which has encountered difficulties and where funding is required. The purpose of the six pilot schemes that were chosen was to try to develop a future framework for resolving the problems that exist right across the country. A total of €95 million has been identified for investment in the rural water programme over the period 2018 to 2021, which is a significant increase on what was available heretofore. The intention is to ensure that more than the six schemes that are part of the current process will be involved in the next three-year period.

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