Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, for being here and the Ceann Comhairle for allowing this important issue to be raised. I acknowledge the good work of councillors from all parties and none on Kerry County Council. Of course, I thank Councillor Jackie Healy-Rae for his efforts in this regard because this is a very important subject. National and local policy is directing people in a certain direction. There is an idea among some people - I am not saying I am all in favour of it - that they want people to live in settlements. We have smaller towns, areas, villages and gatherings of people - some of them are big enough - that do not have any wastewater treatment. It would frighten you if you thought about some of the places that do not have these facilities.

Places that are as famous and well known as Caherdaniel have no wastewater treatment facility. I will not give an exhaustive list but I will give a flavour of the places I am talking about, which include Caherdaniel, Scartaglin, Currow, Currans, Beaufort, Headford, Spa, Asdee, Banawn, Camp, Faha, Finuge, Glenflesk, Lispole, Tuosist, Templenoe, Killeenleagh, Laragh, Kilmoyley, Chapeltown in Valentia and Cromane.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy has not done too badly there, now.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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That is not an exhaustive list. That is just to give a flavour of the places that do not have a wastewater treatment facility. As recently as when the county development plan was being discussed, the county councillors there were saying that they want wastewater treatment facilities to be put in place to allow these places to grow and that people will be able to build their houses and connect to a main sewer. But Irish Water is saying, and it is justified in saying it, that it is not their responsibility because they do not have any network there. So where are we to get this prioritised? How are we going to get schemes going in those types of places? I will pick one for an example, namely, Caherdaniel. It is in the heart of an area where I was very privileged and glad to be elected as a councillor for many years. At that time, we were asking when we would get a sewerage scheme for Caherdaniel and we are still waiting for it. And God knows, a lot of water has gone under the bridge since and a lot of other material has gone somewhere as well because there is no place else for it to go.

What are we going to put in place so that our councillors and our councils can prioritise it and not be getting this answer back from Irish Water to say “Nothing to do with us. We have no say; we have no role; we have no input. Go back to the Department”? That is not exactly very helpful to us.

I am pushing this tonight and it is not for big schemes of houses or anything like that. I am talking about if we can get five or ten homes built in the locations I am talking about and connect up the existing homes. We would be supporting the local shop, post office and GAA team. We would be keeping the fabric of community and spirit that Ireland is all about and keeping the people together. This is vital infrastructure. That is why I respectfully ask the Minister of State to deal with it tonight. I have every confidence in him that he will give me a positive response on how these excellent county councillors are to proceed with the problem facing them in each of their constituencies.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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On behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, I thank Deputy Michael Healy-Rae for raising this important issue and providing me with the opportunity to address the matter.

The programme for Government supports the uptake of Uisce Éireann's small towns and villages growth programme 2020-2024. The programme provides water and wastewater growth capacity in smaller settlements that would otherwise not be provided for in Uisce Éireann’s capital investment plan.

I understand that funding of almost €100 million has been approved by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities for the programme. Across the country, Uisce Éireann is working with local authorities to ensure that the investment is used to support the growth of identified settlements, as prioritised in local authority development plans. For example, in County Kerry, as part of the programme, a new wastewater treatment plant is to be built in Fenit and Knightstown wastewater treatment plant is to be upgraded.

In addition to the work ongoing with Uisce Éireann, the Department's multi-annual rural water programme, using Exchequer funding, is also delivering improvements to water services, including wastewater, in areas of rural Ireland without public water services.

On 28 April 2022, the Minister announced funding for a new measure under the multi-annual rural water programme for the wastewater collection and treatment needs of villages and settlements that do not have access to public waste-water services. An allocation of €50 million has been committed for this specific measure under the national development plan.

The principal aim of the measure is to address environmental and public health issues in identified locations. The process involves local authorities, working with communities and other stakeholders, to progressively improve the wastewater infrastructure needs of rural villages or settlements in parts of rural Ireland not currently serviced by Uisce Éireann. The aim is to ensure that projects which might otherwise not be constructed by Uisce Éireann for some time, will be developed now, and in so doing to help to make the village or settlement a better and more attractive place to live. Using a demonstration project model approach under this funding stream, will also assist in the development of appropriate longer-term strategies and protocols that will better inform future funding needs in this area.

In September 2022, the local authorities submitted requests for funding for specific priority projects in their respective areas. An independent expert panel has evaluated each application and the Minister expects to be in a position to announce successful projects soon. It was a matter for Kerry County Council to decide which villages or settlements within its functional area met the criteria for funding under the measure and to make an application. Applications for Beaufort and Spa were received from Kerry County Council.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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That was a very well worded speech by someone who did not have an intimate knowledge of the villages and settlements I am talking about in County Kerry and I will explain why. The Minister of State referred to €50 million. Not a single euro of that €50 million is earmarked for any one of the villages I am talking about here. Not one of them. Last night I was in many of those settlements and for anyone living in any one of them who was listening in to this debate, he or she might ask “where does that leave us?” For example, where is the money for the good people of Caherdaniel, Scartaglin, Currow or Currans? That is the question I am asking of the Minister of State. When will these people see investment in their localities? It is one thing for national policy to be hunting people, driving people and encouraging them into these locations if we do not have the services and the facilities for them. Where, pray tell, is the famous Green Party, that is, the people who want to protect the environment and who were boasting about protecting our waterways? Do they know that the biggest polluter in many cases is the local authority themselves? They are allowing, or nearly effectively encouraging, wastewater to be let flow into rivers and streams because of the lack of a proper service there to treat the wastewater in those locations. Nothing that the Minister of State said gives me encouragement or confidence for the areas I am representing around the county. Where is the money for those places? Can he be more definite or go back to the person who wrote the speech and ask him or her this question, where is the money?

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Minister of State's contribution is appreciated. We will now move-----

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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If the Ceann Comhairle will allow me, there is something I should declared at the beginning. I have family members who work on schemes such as this. I should have said this at the beginning - I always do - and I am sorry I did not.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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It is noted and duly appreciated.