Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 316: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps which are being taken by his Department to ensure a sewerage scheme is installed in the Achill Sound area of County Mayo which will service the full community and which will be affordable to the community and serve future generations; his views on whether these steps are necessary in view of the fact that it is on the cards for 15 years and that the polluter pays principle means that it is making the scheme economically impossible; if he will review this situation; if he will consider meeting with the group to outline the possibilities available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30308/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Achill Sound Sewerage Scheme has been approved under my Department's Water Services Investment Programme since June 2005. In common with all projects funded under the Programme, my Department funds the capital costs associated with the provision of services to meet the requirements of the existing domestic population. The additional marginal capital cost of servicing non-domestic consumers, and providing for future development, is recovered by the local authority from all non-domestic consumers in its functional area through a combination of water charges on commercial consumers and planning levies on future development. It is important to note that this should be done on a countywide basis and not confined to local communities. In fact it is only where a significant large scale consumer wishes to reserve a specific proportion of the overall capacity of a scheme that a direct contribution to the capital costs up-front is required for that consumer. I understand that it is unlikely that there are any such consumers in this case.

Proposals for a revised scheme for Achill Sound costing €5.377m were submitted to my Department by Mayo County Council in July last. The Council was informed on 11 August that the Department would provide funding of €3.619m in respect of the revised proposals and I would hope that the Council will now advance this long delayed scheme.