Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. The provision of modern environmental infrastructure to support social and economic objectives has been a major focus of Government spending over the past number of years. Towards this end there has been unprecedented investment by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government under the national development plan on water and sewerage schemes, which has made a key contribution to the economic growth that has benefited every part of Ireland.

My Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2004-2006 was published in May 2004 and includes over 60 different schemes for County Galway with a value of over €445 million. Towns and villages such as Athenry, Ballinasloe, Barna, Carraroe, Clifden, Glenamaddy, Headford, Milltown, Oughterard and Tuam can all look forward to new and upgraded sewerage schemes. Many areas have also benefited from improved water supplies, such as Carna-Kilkieran, Tuam and Headford. There are new regional water supply schemes for Gort, Ballinasloe, Clifden, Loughrea, Dunmore-Glenamaddy and Portumna.

When selecting individual projects for approval in the water services investment programme, my Department takes into account the priorities identified by Galway County Council. Ballygar was in eighth position on the list of water schemes and 16th on the list of sewerage schemes submitted by the county council in response to the Department's 2003 request for local authorities to produce updated and prioritised assessments of new infrastructural needs in their areas. These assessments are the main input in the approval of individual schemes by my Department for Exchequer funding. Given the prioritisation made by the council, along with the high level of competing demand for the available funding, it was not possible to include the Ballygar proposal in the current water services investment programme.

However, the current programme is part of an ongoing three-year strategy that has rolled forward at regular intervals. Further schemes will be added to future phases of the programme in line with the prevailing priorities identified by the local authorities. In light of what Senator Kitt has said about health considerations, colour, taste and content, Galway County Council may review the current priority ratings of the Ballygar schemes with a view to moving them further up the lists. If this were to happen, it would improve their prospects of being included in the investment programme. Senator Kitt can be assured that the points he made this evening will be taken into account in this context.

The future of these proposals in Ballygar is very much in the hands of Galway County Council. If it decides that they should be given greater emphasis within its overall list of priorities, their prospects of securing funding under the water services investment programme will be correspondingly enhanced. Perhaps the concerns raised by the Senator regarding content and colour are new. While the Department may make the final decision, it depends on the list of priorities sent forward by the county council. As of the last time it was asked for a list, Ballygar did not feature very highly. I am sure the Senator will use his good offices at county council level to make these points. If it reprioritises, the Department will do its best to allocate funding.