Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 357: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools that have applied for funding for a rain harvesting facility under the summer works scheme 2010; the number that were successful in their application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33827/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, applications were invited under the Summer Works Scheme 2010 for specified water conservation measures. In excess of 1,800 applications were received.

I hope to announce details of the successful applicants later this year.

The specific water conservation measures were: urinal controls; cistern displacement devices; variable flushing devices; push type percussion spray taps and thermostatic mixing valves. Rain water harvesting was not a category under the Summer Works Scheme in 2010. Therefore, applications for funding for rainwater harvesting facilities were not approved.

Rainwater harvesting systems were first introduced for major school building projects in 2008. Since then all major school building projects, where site conditions and circumstances allow and where economically viable to do so, can incorporate a rainwater harvesting system into their brief.

While fitting the systems in new schools during construction is relatively straightforward, retrofitting them in existing schools is much more difficult and expensive because of the various dedicated pipe work systems both within the building and externally underground and the amount of making good work that is required in each instance.

For existing buildings it is more cost effective to minimise the demand for water firstly through installing push type spray taps, low flushing toilets, urinal controls, repairing leaks etc.