Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 206: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has received a request from Kildare County Council for capital grant aid towards the provision of water schemes including group water schemes in 2008; the extent to which it is intended to respond to such requests within the specified time scale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36773/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 208: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the extent to which his Department has received requests from Kildare County Council for the provision of grant aid towards the provision of new or upgraded sewerage treatment facilities throughout County Kildare; if he expects to respond positively to such requests in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36775/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 209: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when he will make grant applications to Kildare County Council and facilitate the upgrading of the various sewerage treatment systems throughout the county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36776/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 215: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans for the upgrading of existing and the provision of new sewerage treatment facilities at various locations throughout the country with a view to the elimination of sources of potential ground water pollution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36782/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 206, 208, 209 and 215 together.

Particulars of major water services schemes approved for Co Kildare and other local authority areas are set out in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2007-2009, which is available in the Oireachtas Library. The schemes included in the Programme are derived mainly from the assessments of needs undertaken by all local authorities, including Kildare County Council, at my Department's request, as an input to the overall strategy for meeting water services infrastructural requirements. In these assessments, authorities are required to quantify the needs for capital works in their areas and to list their proposals on the basis of the priorities adopted by the elected members.

Prioritised work programmes submitted by county councils inform the annual block grant allocations by my Department to local authorities under the devolved Rural Water Programme. Kildare County Council has been notified by my Department of a block grant allocation of €1.887 million under the 2008 Rural Water Programme, of which €1.087 million is in respect of group water and sewerage schemes. A record provision of €560 million — an increase of 19% over 2008 — has been made available for water services investments in 2009.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 207: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will make available to Kildare County Council in 2008 the funding necessary to proceed with the Ballyna group water scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36774/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The Ballyna Regional Water Supply Scheme, which replaces a previous proposal to serve the area through a group water scheme, is included in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2007- 2009 as a scheme to advance through planning at an estimated cost of €11.5 million. My Department is awaiting submission of Kildare County Council's brief for the appointment of consultants to prepare a Preliminary Report for the scheme.