Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I hope to update Senator Moloney although I am not sure it will be a final solution. I am taking the matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Phil Hogan.

The Kilcummin sewerage scheme is included in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2010-13 as a scheme to advance through planning during the life of the programme. As the Senator will be aware, Kerry County Council awarded a contract for the combined Kilcummin-Barraduff sewerage scheme in 2007. Work commenced on this contract in April 2007. However, the contractor at the time was also engaged in construction work on another sewerage scheme, the Milltown sewerage scheme. As a result, progress on the Kilcummin-Barraduff contract was slow. In July 2007 the council suspended the contract in accordance with the terms that were set out in it. The contractor agreed to withdraw from the Kilcummin portion of the contract and resumed work in Barraduff. As a consequence of the problems, no work was carried out on the Kilcummin scheme.

Kerry County Council submitted a revised proposal for the Kilcummin sewerage scheme to my Department in December 2009.

In view of the high unit costs associated with providing the scheme, the council was requested by my Department in May 2010 to review its scope. The council submitted a further proposal to the Department in June 2012. Concerns persisted regarding the unit costs of the scheme and, following discussions with the Department, it was decided that the council would submit further information to enable the Department to make a decision on the matter. That submission is awaited.

The Minister is conscious of the impacts the discharges from Kilcummin are having on the local environment and on Lough Leane and is keen to have the problem resolved. Therefore, when Kerry County Council submits the additional information, it will be dealt with without delay. I am sure the Senator will hold us to that.

The council, meanwhile, has been moving ahead with the improvement of water services infrastructure in the county. It has completed ten schemes or contracts in this regard, including sewerage schemes for Firies, Milltown, Farranfore, Rathmore and Barraduff, and water supply schemes or contracts in Listowel, Cahersiveen, Ardfert and at Scart reservoir, which is part of the central regional water supply scheme. It has also completed the combined Waterville water and sewerage scheme. The council expects to go to tender shortly on the Ardfert sewerage scheme and to award the contract for wastewater treatment plants for the Ballylongford and Tarbert sewerage schemes. In addition, the council is also pressing ahead with its water conservation programme throughout the county, which was identified as a key priority under my Department's water services investment programme.

From 1 January 2014, Irish Water will be responsible for the delivery of water services capital infrastructure. That body is engaging with each local authority to assess priorities and is preparing a capital investment plan for 2014-2015. This plan will provide for the transition of relevant projects currently included in the water services investment programme.

I realise this is not the definitive answer the Senator was seeking, but I hope it will provide some clarity. To reiterate, the Minister has said there will be no delay in making a decision on the matter raised.