Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

No better man. He is well able to do it. He is a typical Monaghan man. He squeezes as much as he can out of it.

I thank Senator Gallagher for raising these issues. I am happy to answer them as best I can. My Department's new multi-annual rural water programme 2016-2018 was developed through a working group of key stakeholders involving local authorities, the water services transition office, Irish Water, the National Federation of Group Water Schemes as well as my Department. The programme provides for the funding of demonstration group sewerage schemes through measure 4(d), where clustering of households on individual septic tanks is not a viable option, particularly from an environmental perspective.

In January 2016, local authorities were invited to submit bids under the programme. The invitation envisaged no more than two demonstration group sewerage projects being brought forward under the measure in any one year of the three-year programme. That is in line with the sanction received by my Department in December 2015 from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to increasing the maximum grant per house to €6,750, which is up from €6,500, to cover a limited number of new demonstration group sewerage schemes.

In addition, sanction was also given for these new demonstration group sewerage schemes, in exceptional circumstances, to benefit from a supplemental grant, subject to my Department’s approval, where the project represents the most economically advantageous option.Where a supplemental grant is approved, the overall level of funding from the rural water programme is limited to approximately 90% of the cost per house subject to a minimum contribution of €2,250 per house.

It is important to acknowledge the inclusion of these demonstration group sewerage schemes within the overall new multi-annual funding programme. Last year, 2016, represented the first year in transitioning to the new funding framework for the rural water programme. Therefore, we are in the early stages of this new approach. The demonstrations will allow my Department, over the course of the programme, to determine the appropriate enduring funding levels and relationship with the current grant scheme.

As new demonstration group schemes have been identified for the duration of the programme, and given that only two demonstration projects can be advanced in any given year, my Department does not propose to modify the programme at this point. My Department will give consideration to the scope of the measure under the programme from 2019 onwards having regard to the implementation of the existing multi-annual rural water programme, which runs to the end of next year. My Department also will give wider consideration to the report of the Joint Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services as it relates to the rural water programme. That report is still being worked on. There is an interest and a desire in the Department to do more in this regard, but it all depends on what funding we get from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

The demonstration projects are moving forward. Given that the Senator has mentioned it previously, I know that he is interested in the Milltown project. A range of projects could be moved forward if we were able to secure funding, so we will keep that in mind as we roll out the programme, particularly its first phase.

Regarding funding for septic tanks, it was clear at the time that people were being asked to register their tanks in order that local authorities could manage the situation from an environmental perspective. There was never a commitment that money would be available for every issue. The then Minister, Mr. Phil Hogan, made it clear that, where a problem was identified following a test by a local authority, a grant would be made available if someone needed help correcting the environmental issue. There has been a low level of testing in some areas, but that testing is targeted on key areas where there are environmental concerns, generally near waterways. However, no major concerns have been raised about the grant.

Concerns were raised in this and the Lower House that thousands of difficult situations would arise, but that has not happened. As with many issues that are raised in the Houses in a big hullabaloo, the panic was not necessary and the situation has been relatively calm since. There have been a couple of cases and we might discuss them, but if an environmental risk is flagged to a local authority, it generally conducts tests on a number of septic tanks or bioCycles in the area to determine whether there is an issue. That can then lead on to the issue being addressed.