Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to thank the Deputy again for his comments. I appreciate his interest in wastewater in parts of rural Ireland without public water services. I have listened carefully to what the Deputy has said and I assure him that it will be kept in mind in the context of the evolving new funding measures. While the Minister has responsibility in ensuring the overall funding for Uisce Éireann in respect of public water services and for the provision of funding under the rural water programme, including for the new measure, the prioritisation of individual projects is a matter for the local authority and in this case, for Kerry County Council. An independent expert panel was put in place to support the evaluation process for the funding under the multi-annual rural water programme. In addition to providing an expert perspective, the panel brings independence, openness and transparency to the bids-evaluation process which is done on a national prioritised basis. The panel is independently chaired and its membership includes departmental stakeholder and independent expert representation. The expert panel was tasked with making recommendations on the suitability of each project for funding.

Its recommendations are based on a detailed examination of all the valid proposals received using the criteria set out in the framework document, which is given to all local authorities. The Deputy will appreciate that it is not possible for me to give any commitment regarding specific locations at this stage. Uisce Éireann also continues to work to eliminate any remaining issues in raw wastewater discharges in towns and villages not yet connected to a wastewater treatment plant. The plan is to eliminate all of these in the coming years and to prioritise those areas where it can make the biggest impact first.

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