Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 906: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to review the rate of grant aid available for group sewerage schemes; when these figures were last revised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27074/08]

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. The current rate of grant in respect of group sewerage schemes was introduced in 1996.