Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 921: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when grants for group sewerage schemes will be increased in line with grants for group water schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23116/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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My Department has funded 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 public sewerage networks.

The new infrastructure has now been commissioned and its performance is being monitored and evaluated. The National Rural Water Monitoring Committee has been asked to report to me on the results as they become available and I intend to review the grants for group sewerage schemes in light of the outcome.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 922: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when approval will be granted to public sewerage schemes at Castlecomer, County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23117/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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A proposal to provide wastewater treatment facilities at Castlecomer under the Serviced Land Initiative measure of my Department's Water Services Investment Programme was included in the list of schemes submitted by Kilkenny County Council in response to my Department's request to local authorities in 2006 to undertake fresh assessments of the needs for water services capital works in their areas. However, no formal proposal for funding has been received in my Department.