John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 538: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if funding will be made available in 2010 for the rural water programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8052/10]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I expect to notify local authorities of my Department's block grant allocations under the 2010 Rural Water Programme shortly.

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 539: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if the minimum grant of €2000 for group sewerage scheme will be reviewed in order to make schemes viable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8053/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The rate of grant available for Group Sewerage Schemes is €2,031.58 per house or 75% of the cost of the scheme, whichever is the lesser.

My Department has funded a pilot programme to test a range of new, small-scale waste-water collection and treatment systems under Irish conditions. The objective of this pilot programme was to evaluate new approaches to meeting the wastewater collection and treatment needs of rural communities. The National Rural Water Services Committee, which will be established shortly, will consider the Final Report on the performance of new infrastructure provided under this pilot programme. I will review the future role of group sewerage schemes in the provision of waste water collections systems in the light of the Committee's report.