Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

We all understand that even within a county, there is a pull toward the centre. The CLÁR programme has been specifically designed to act as a counterweight to that pull. Recently, I announced the school playground scheme through which each primary school in a CLÁR area will be entitled to a rebate of €7,500 if it spends €10,000 on play facilities on its campus. Certain schools intend to provide football facilities, others basketball facilities and some will tar a yard to ready it for hopscotch. The decision will be for each school to make. All of us can accept that traditionally rural schools were provided with no funding whatsoever for the provision of sporting facilities. In schools with between 30 and 50 pupils, funding of this nature will help parents considerably in the provision of the facilities in question.

While we tried to contact as many schools in the CLÁR areas as possible, in the trawl we performed some schools were left out. Other schools completed the very simple application form incorrectly. Some forgot to include the roll number while others listed figures in excess of the amount to be granted. In every case in which a form was incorrectly filled in, we returned it to the school as soon as the postal dispute had ended. Schools should receive the returned forms over the next few days if they have not done so already. We are asking the schools to fill out the forms correctly and return them to the Department at which point the money will be sanctioned. If there are schools which for whatever reason and despite our best efforts through the Leader companies were not included or eligible for the scheme, it is open to them to contact my Department to be sent the appropriate application form. There is no closing date for the scheme although each school may claim only once. On receipt of an application, the Department will sanction funding which will be paid out on receipt of invoices.

Among the projects I have been keen to progress is broadband roll-out. Last autumn, my Department, with the assistance of the Department of Communication, Marine and Natural Resources, called for broadband projects. A detailed and comprehensive analysis of the projects has been carried out and I hope to be in a position in the near future to make an announcement on the roll-out of broadband to chosen towns in CLÁR areas. The broadband programme is significant. We will evaluate the success of roll-out to the towns in question. If it is a success, I will certainly consider expanding the process.

The provision of water and sewerage services in rural areas is of great importance. While we have heard a great deal about difficulties with group water schemes, there is very rare mention in the media of people who continue to be dependent on wells and other private sources of water. The argument has been made that it would be incredibly expensive to provide them with piped water from central sources, but our experience through the top-up scheme under CLÁR has been to the contrary. A very modest sum can make up the difference and render affordable the provision of water services to a household. Under the scheme, the charge per household is just in excess of €1,000 which represents a fair and equitable charge given the cost of connection to a mains supply in a town or village.

Significant advantage has been taken in Roscommon of group sewerage schemes on the edges of villages. Such schemes have great potential in other rural areas. While many towns and villages now have small main sewerage schemes which have been constructed by local authorities, in the case of development there can be a delay in extending the schemes to connect newly built houses.