Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for the question. I am here to address the topic on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien.

The Department is committed to supporting rural Ireland and continues to provide the funding needed for the provision of improved water services in rural areas. The Department’s multi-annual rural water programme, using Exchequer funding, is the main capital funding stream delivering improvements to water services, including wastewater services, in areas of rural Ireland that are without public water services. A key strategic objective of the multi-annual programme is - through its various funding measures - to improve the quality, reliability and efficiency of water services for rural dwellers where public water services are not available.

In April 2022, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’ Brien, launched a new measure under the multi-annual rural water programme for the waste water collection and treatment needs for villages and settlements without access to public waste water services. An allocation of €50 million has been committed under the national development plan to fund that measure. The principal aim of the measure is to provide additional funding for local authorities to take an innovative approach to address environmental and public health issues in locations of need, across the country, on a prioritised basis.

A total of 23 individual applications from 13 local authorities were received including from Clare County Council for projects in Cooraclare and Broadford. All applications received were referred to an independent expert panel who assessed and considered recommendations. The panel completed its work and in December 2023, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’ Brien, approved funding of over €45 million for seven projects. As the Senator outlined, included in this approval is €6.4 million in funding for Broadford and €5.5 million for Cooraclare. All projects are being co-funded with the individual relevant local authority.

To maintain momentum, the Department has facilitated significant and ongoing engagement between the two key stakeholders, these being the local authority and Uisce Éireann, to work through the steps required to successfully deliver the projects. It is important to note that capital projects of this nature are complex. They take time to plan, design, tender and construct.This is under way. The stakeholders are working together to complete these projects as quickly as possible. I cannot give a timeline but there is a real sense of frustration and I get that.