Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 219: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding the provision of a sewerage scheme for a town (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36605/10]

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 220: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding the provision of a sewerage scheme for a town (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36606/10]

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 221: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding the provision of a sewerage scheme for a town (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36607/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 219 to 221, inclusive, together.

The Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2012 , a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library, provides for the development of a comprehensive range of new water services infrastructure in County Donegal. The total value of contracts underway and those proposed for commencement during the period of the programme in County Donegal is some €116m.

The Dungloe and Glenties Sewerage Schemes, which are to advance jointly, are included in the Programme among the list of contracts in the county to start in the period 2010 -2012. Donegal County Council's Tender Documents for the contract are under examination in my Department and are being dealt with as quickly as possible. Burtonport Sewerage Scheme is not included among the contracts and schemes in County Donegal to be progressed under the Water Services Investment Programme over the period 2010 – 2012.

A key input to the development of the Programme was the assessment of needs prepared by local authorities, including Donegal County Council. These were subsequently appraised in the Department in the context of the funds available and key criteria that complemented those used by the authorities. Inevitably, through this process, certain projects that had been proposed had to give way to others that are more strategically important at this time, as the total value of contracts and schemes proposed by local authorities exceeded the level of resources likely to be available in the period.

The scope and format of the Programme for 2010 to 2012 is designed to better reflect ongoing environmental and economic priorities, to maximise the return on public funds being invested in the sector and to ensure that the Programme is realistic in its level of ambition. The contracts and schemes that did not rate sufficiently for inclusion in the Programme on this occasion were those which did not feature highly on public health grounds or other environmental compliance requirements (for example those relating to European Court of Justice proceedings, or those required in the context of the River Basin Management Plans, Shellfish Pollution Production Programmes, EPA reports etc) and projects that were proposed simply for capacity expansion (which was unrelated to the National Spatial Strategy/developing areas priorities), and which in the case of water supply can be deferred, in many cases, in favour of accelerated water conservation measures.