Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue in Craughwell, County Galway. We want to invest in our towns and villages so that every town and village can have a certain amount of natural growth. It is important that we facilitate that. As the Deputy acknowledged, €50 million in funding has been provided specifically for wastewater collection and treatment needs in villages and settlements without access to public wastewater services. Submissions have been made from Craughwell and Clarinbridge, which were sent by the Department to the EPA and Uisce Éireann last November. I am advised that the EPA and Uisce Éireann reported back to the Department only last Friday. The expert panel is evaluating the applications, including the assessments from EPA and Uisce Éireann. Based on a report from the panel, recommendations for funding will be submitted to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, in the near future

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