Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 629: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if payment will issue to landowners in the Shannon callows for special protection area designated lands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5379/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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My Department will compensate landowners for all proven costs incurred or losses sustained as a result of complying with the management requirements of the Shannon callows special protection area on the basis of a costed five year plan under a shortly to be announced national parks and wildlife service farm plan scheme. Where standard rates of payment can be agreed, these will be available to farmers as an alternative to individual costings. The corncrake grant scheme funded by my Department with payment based on a one year agreement will continue to be available in 2006 before being replaced under the new arrangements.

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 630: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if the grant aid available for group sewerage schemes will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5380/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In June 2005 I approved funding for the provision of new wastewater facilities at seven locations in County Tipperary as a pilot programme to test a range of new, small-scale wastewater collection and treatment systems under Irish conditions. The pilot programme, proposed by the national rural water monitoring committee, will also test a low cost, low maintenance system to collect, treat and dispose of effluent from existing septic tanks.

The objective of the pilot scheme is to evaluate new approaches to meeting the wastewater collection and treatment needs of rural villages and to examine the potential role for group sewerage schemes in extending the collection systems to households outside the catchment of the new or existing sewerage schemes. The outcome of the pilot programme will inform any review of the current group sewerage scheme grants.