Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this issue and the Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Noel Ahern, for coming to the House. In the past I have raised the question of the sewerage scheme for Glenamaddy, County Galway. Glenamaddy is famous in song as the town that has the four roads. While many towns have four roads this one is famous because it made one of the great songs of the past. The people of Glenamaddy are anxious to see development in the town. They have a new community school sanctioned, the Department has in the past sanctioned money for water schemes in the area and it was recently announced that the CLÁR programme area has been extended to include Glenamaddy. Above all there is a need for industry, extra housing and development in the town and this cannot be done without an upgraded sewerage scheme.

The Minister has a programme from Galway County Council for the period 2005-07. It is an ambitious programme. Glenamaddy is on that list. Obviously, I would like to get a report from the Department given that there has been some development. In the past I was told that documentation was requested from Galway County Council by the Department. I tried to follow that up with the council but was told that the last queries made by the Department were answered by the council.

I thank the Minister for taking an interest. I hope he will take a further interest in upgrading the scheme and delivering good news for the people of Glenamaddy and the hinterland of north-east Galway.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for raising this issue. The Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2005-07, published in December 2005, includes some 60 major water and sewerage schemes for Galway, with a value of over €450 million. I am pleased to confirm that the Glenamaddy sewerage scheme is included in the investment programme as a scheme approved to start construction in 2007. The necessary funding has been allocated for it and it will be able to go to construction once all the necessary planning and procurement procedures have been completed.

My Department is committed to delegating more responsibilities and functions to local authorities whenever possible in order to strengthen local government and, where water services infrastructure is concerned, to also speed up and improve the efficiency of approval and procurement procedures. Previously, once the preliminary report for a project costing up to €2.5 million had been approved under the Department's water services investment programme, the local authority could usually proceed to construction without further reference to the Department. The Minister, Deputy Roche, has recently further extended this devolution of functions.

The position now is that for every project in the water services investment programme costing less than €5 million, local authorities are entitled, after they have received preliminary approval, to proceed right through to construction without further reference to the Department. This means that the local authority does not have to come back to the Department to get approval for contract documents or to place a contract after the tender process has been completed. I am optimistic that, as well as increasing local autonomy, this measure will have a positive effect in accelerating progress on smaller schemes in the water services investment programme.

The estimated cost of the Glenamaddy sewerage scheme is under €4 million and this should allow it to benefit from the streamlined procurement procedures for smaller projects. A revised preliminary report for the scheme has been submitted by Galway County Council and is being examined in the Department. However, additional information has had to be sought from the council to allow the preliminary report to be cleared. Once this additional information comes to hand, the Department will finalise its examination of the preliminary report as quickly as possible. When it is approved the council will then be free to proceed right through to construction. I hope the remaining queries can shortly be sorted out and that construction can begin on the Glenamaddy sewerage scheme next year as planned.