Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

I really thought that as the Minister had been invited to the House some time ago and would have had time to prepare, he would bring the specific details along with him. I asked him a specific question and I am restating it now. Will he, irrespective of what is on the Internet, indicate how many specific small sewerage schemes have benefited from an allocation of funding through the CLÁR programme? Perhaps he will take time out, if necessary, to provide us with this simple information. That it is on the Internet would indicate to us that the Minister, like any of his colleagues should, out of courtesy, have brought this information to the House and given his views on it. The position is that CLÁR comprises day-to-day ad hoc responses to situations as they arise. There is no focus or policy on how it may be developed in the future. It is a terrible situation that our response to the need for maintenance of reasonable standards in areas of the greatest population decline is devoid of Government policy other than reactions on a day-to-basis to cases bordering on crisis. If we could re-establish confidence in the CLÁR scheme and in the allocation of funding in a fair and equitable way throughout the relevant areas, I would be satisfied, and this day would be worthwhile.