Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this issue and I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. Mountbellew, County Galway, is an expanding market town but it has been hampered by the lack of an appropriate sewerage scheme. A number of improvements are needed because new housing estates have been built around the town and others are planned. It has reached the stage where a contractor must install a treatment system for each scheme of houses, which is a bad reflection of the way in which waste and waste water are dealt with in this day and age. Recently, planning permission was granted for a new factory in the town. Improvements in the sewerage scheme are badly needed, given the impending development of new housing estates and a new industry.

In the various water and sewerage programmes over the years, Mountbellew has been mentioned. It is listed as a project to be completed in 2007 involving a cost of €2.2 million. It is urgently required. With the amount of development that is taking place, I hope the Department will ensure that provision of this scheme will soon be announced.

A public meeting will be held in Mountbellew on 6 November and people are seeking answers in regard to the provision of this scheme. They are frustrated there is such a delay in providing the scheme in this town in which there is considerable development. I hope the Minister of State will have some good news for the people of Mountbellew in the not too distant future.