John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 158: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on providing funding to overcome the deficiencies in group water schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42620/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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My Department funds comprehensive range of grants and subsidies which are available from local authorities under the devolved Rural Water Programme to bring quality deficient group water schemes up to a satisfactory standard. These include including a 100% capital grant for new water treatment and disinfection plants.

Last February, I announced a capital allocation of €133m for the 2006 Rural Water Programme, the biggest ever annual allocation for the Programme. The bulk of this funding was earmarked for the provision of water treatment and disinfection facilities for group schemes with quality deficient sources. Upgrading projects are now being progressed for 282 group schemes throughout the county. By the end of this year, some 100 new water treatment plants will be operational and delivering treated water to over 26,000 rural households. New treatment projects to serve a further 17,000 rural consumers have been advanced through the planning stages and construction has already commenced on a number of these. Group scheme connections to local authority public water supply networks will benefit up to 10,000 more rural households.

A strong partnership has been forged between my Department, the local authorities and the group schemes sector. I envisage that this partnership, together with the unprecedented levels of grant aid being provided under the Rural Water Programme, will ensure early elimination of any remaining deficiencies in the quality of drinking water supplied to group scheme consumers.