Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister. I am glad to have the opportunity to contribute on this Bill, which I welcome. We have had much good news from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in recent days. I welcome the Minister's announcement of increased allocations for non-national roads and his efforts, with this Bill, to consolidate legislation. This has not been done for more than 120 years.

I am a member of a rural group water scheme and have taken a great interest in group water schemes. There are 400 members in the scheme where I live. We are to be licensed and that is a welcome development. Small schemes will be exempt. Over the years, many rural group water schemes have carried out much necessary work and have received substantial help from county councils.

Many years ago Deputy Joe Higgins made the question of free water for everybody a big issue. He never thought of rural Ireland at the time nor did the former Minister for the Environment, Deputy Howlin, who caused much difficulty for rural Ireland given that there was no free domestic supply for people in rural areas. It was only with the recognition of the unfairness by Deputy Dempsey as Minister for the Environment and Local Government, the emergence of the National Federation of Water Schemes and the national rural monitoring committee and partnership and co-operation that we eventually got equality for people in rural areas who, in many cases, started water schemes themselves. We would not have water in many parts of Galway today were it not for the setting up of voluntary group water schemes by rural people, many of whom have since passed away. They were the real pioneers in providing water supply in towns and villages. Today it costs more than €1,000 to join a water scheme in rural Ireland but people are willing to make such a commitment. That is the reason we have a federation, monitoring committees and great support from the Department and from county councils.

In the past, people had to drill their own wells to provide themselves with water and that was very expensive. Now, they can often join up to a county council source. In many cases local authorities have taken over group water schemes. That is a welcome development because people cannot be expected to continue to work voluntarily on group water schemes. The Minister announced recently that more than €4 billion will be invested in water schemes up to the end of 2006. That is also very welcome.

Senator Cummins gave us a tour of Waterford.