Cecilia Keaveney (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 989: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, in view of the level of cryptosporidiosis of a human form arising, he will raise the level of grants for group sewerage schemes to encourage areas to move from septic tanks to group sewerage schemes to minimise the opportunities for leakage and contamination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14249/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is funding a pilot programme, proposed by the National Rural Water Monitoring Committee, to test a range of new, small-scale wastewater collection and treatment systems under Irish conditions. The objective of the pilot programme is to evaluate new approaches to meeting the wastewater collection and treatment needs of rural communities and to examine the potential role for group sewerage schemes in extending collection systems to households outside the catchment of new or existing sewerage schemes.

Construction of the pilot projects is currently underway and monitoring of the performance of the new infrastructure by the National Rural Water Monitoring Committee will commence immediately after commissioning takes place. I have asked the Committee to report on the results as they become available. I intend to review the grants for group sewerage schemes in light of the outcome of the pilot programme.