Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We will commit to doing that. We are establishing a programme early next year to support villages and towns that do not have public wastewater infrastructure to enable them to develop that through Irish Water. The senior Minister was down in Broadford and in a number of other parts of County Clare during the summer and I am very aware of the problem that if infrastructure is not there to support development in a small town or village, there is a very significant problem for the locality and society as a whole. The Department will try to implement a number of schemes in that context in small towns and villages in rural counties, which will provide the assurance and certainty for development to happen. The great aspect of that method is that it is through Irish Water, its future is guaranteed, as are the environmental considerations and operation of the infrastructure. In that context, we believe that Irish Water is the best mechanism through which this can be delivered.

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