Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

I wish the Minister of State well in his position and welcome him to the House. In tabling this matter on the Adjournment, I am conscious of the fact that the scheme was ratified by Limerick County Council in its assessment of need at a December 2003 meeting. It was fifth in its priority sequence and I know that the matter has been passed on to the Minister of State's Department. The area about which we are talking is in the extreme west of the country. It embraces Loughhill, Ballyhahill, Glin and parts of Shanagolden, where the quality of water provided to urban communities is acceptable. However, there is an entire rural network there and in many cases people are not part of group water schemes. The council has justified this with the very successful Shannon Estuary water supply scheme, which has the capacity to cope with all those extra areas. It has put forward a submission which would lead to a very coherent policy for the whole area. Perhaps the Minister of State might indicate the timeframe for the Department to provide funding to proceed with the much-needed extension in the area.