Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this matter, which impacts upon the lives of all our constituents. I welcome our colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, to the House. I am not sure if I have had occasion to congratulate him in this setting before. In any event, it is no harm to renew my welcome to him.

Group sewerage schemes are generally a success and alleviate many difficulties for people trying to live outside or adjacent to small towns and villages. They are crucial in villages, towns and rural settlements. Currently, there must be a cluster of 25 houses to qualify for grant aid. The issue is that in general, particularly in small towns, there tend to be settlements of eight to ten houses. It can be as low as five or as high as ten. It can vary. Certainly from eight to ten onwards they should be allowed to form a group scheme and to receive grant aid. I know there might be questions around economies of scale but I cannot see, from my layman's understanding of this, that there would be that radical a difference. Whether there is or not is not the point because we cannot discriminate against these people. One of my wonderful elected council colleagues who has been a councillor for 40 years told me that he has recently come across a person whose septic tank failed the normal environmental test. Of course these tests are necessary for the health of the environment and people. This constituent's septic tank failed the normal testing but there was no scheme because they were under the required number. This created a very difficult situation.

This is not totally germane to this debate but I would like this to be reflected back to Government for the matter to be considered. I know that we do not pass motions on money matters but I exhort and request that the grant aid for these schemes be increased. The big priority would be to reduce the numbers and then the grant aid ask, because the water connection grant aids in the water schemes is actually higher.

The water schemes go back to my youth. They were transformative in rural Ireland, transforming the lives of people in communities, particularly rural women, which is not an aspect often focused on. It should not have been the case but that is how it was in reality. The sewerage scheme also transformed the lives of local people. Now with working from home, the size of Dublin and with the need to have local settlements and diverse local communities, the schemes are crucial. I contend that we should look at reducing the number required. I await the Minister of State's response.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator O'Reilly for bringing this important matter to my attention and for the opportunity to address this topic. In recent years, my Department has invested significantly in rural water and waste water infrastructure to support our rural towns and villages. As the Senator said, it is crucially important for quality of life measures and to enhance vibrancy within rural communities and areas so that people there can have a good quality of life. To live, raise a family and work, it is essential that they have proper infrastructure to enable this.

Through non-Uisce Éireann investment in rural water infrastructure under the national development plan, some €50 million has been committed to specific funding measures for the provision of waste water collection and treatment needs for villages without access to public water services. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, launched this funding scheme and invited local authorities to make applications for funding for priority projects in their areas.

The scheme was designed to support demonstration projects that would inform a longer-term, strategic approach to the issue of waste water infrastructure in small villages. Earlier this year, having considered recommendations received from the independent expert panel tasked with critically assessing the applications received, funding of more than €45 million was approved for a number of demonstration projects across the country.In tandem with that, we recently made improvements in respect of domestic wastewater treatment systems, specifically septic tank grants. Maximum values have increased from €5,000 to €12,000. We have also removed the qualifying condition that the septic tank must be registered with the local authority before its improvement. However, there are concerns about the lottery system of inspections in some local authorities. We have introduced specific measures in respect of prioritised areas of action, PAAs, and high-status objective catchment areas so that septic tanks that are dysfunctional and have quality issues can be reported to local authorities and subsequently supported.

I am sure that rural water schemes are crucial in Cavan and Monaghan. We will soon announce the multi-annual rural water programme, which will support schemes in being fit for purpose. It will ensure that the quality of schemes’ drinking water is enhanced and maintenance is delivered through various subsidies. It will also ensure that many schemes are taken in charge via Uisce Éireann measures or amalgamations. The Minister is progressing these projects. More than €45 million was provided for demonstration projects. I am sure that the programme of investment will again be aimed towards smaller towns that would not otherwise be provided Uisce Éireann capital investment. We need to prioritise those areas.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Unfortunately, a vote has been called in the Dáil, so we will suspend until after the vote. Is that agreed?

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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Yes, although we could have finished this matter in a minute.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I checked, but it seems that continuing is not possible. The bells have been ringing for a few minutes.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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Well done. I accept that.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. To refer to one point, I am delighted with the increase in the septic tank grants. That is good news. I take all the points the Minister of State made about investment. He said €100 million is available to Uisce Éireann and that is now being invested in smaller clusters of settlements in smaller schemes to provide wastewater treatment facilities specifically. There are also other water schemes.

My sources still tell me that the issue is the number of people who can get into the scheme. When the Minister of State was voting in the Dáil, I had the opportunity to get back to the person who first brought this issue to me. I was told it hangs still on the fact that smaller clusters cannot qualify. Perhaps the Minister of State could take that on board. Therein seems to be the nub of the problem, as it was identified to me anyway by a long-serving councillor. I thank the Minister of State.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator O'Reilly. The points he made are valid. It is a challenge, absolutely, and I am very much aware of the issue that he and the councillor who contacted him have raised. We will continue to examine actively ways to continue to support and improve wastewater connections and water services in rural areas in need. I can certainly work with the Senator and the relevant local authorities to try to achieve a solution to the problem the Senator raised. If he wishes to pass on the contact details, I will be more than happy to engage.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, will respond to the second Commencement matter, while the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, will take the third and fourth Commencement matters. It is a pity the matters he is taking are not running in sequence.