Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 45: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will detail capital spending on water services in 1996; and if he will also detail capital spending on water services in 2011. [6839/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Water Services Capital Programme is divided into two elements: the Water Services Investment Programme and the Rural Water Programme. The Water Services Investment Programme is a multi-annual investment plan for the provision of major water and sewerage schemes. The Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2012 is the current such plan. A copy of the Programme is available in the Oireachtas library. The Programme for 2010 – 2012 prioritises projects that target public heath and environmental compliance issues, rehabilitation of existing water supply networks and projects which support economic and employment growth.

The Department provides annual block grant allocations to local authorities under its Rural Water Programme mainly for funding towards group water schemes and small public water and sewerage schemes. Allocations were made in February 2011 for the current year, and responsibility for the administration of the Programme has been devolved to local authorities since 1997.

The total Exchequer capital allocation for Water Services Infrastructure in 2011 is €435 million – €350 million is allocated to the Water Services Investment Programme (Major Schemes) and €85 million is allocated to the Rural Water Programme for Small Public Schemes and Group Water Schemes.

Total Exchequer expenditure on Water Services capital works amounted to €155.401 million in 1996. The Water Services Investment Programme saw €140.579 million invested on major schemes while €14.822 million was spent under the Rural Water Programme.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 46: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if water supply deficits have been calculated in major centres of population; if such a calculation has been made, the measures he intends to implement to deal with short, medium and long term requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6831/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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My Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2012 , which is available in the Oireachtas library, sets out the plans for investment in major water supply projects in order to meet key environmental and economic objectives over that period.

The preparation of the Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2012 programme involved a complete review of all schemes which had not substantially progressed to ensure that they remained priorities in the light of these programme objectives. This programme builds on investment in the period 2000 – 2009, which has seen an increase in water treatment capacity equivalent to the needs of a population of 1.1 million and an increase in storage capacity equivalent to 1.6 million over the same period. The development of the programme included the completion of a needs assessment by all local authorities, including the water supply requirements of major centres of population, from the perspective of both quality and demand in the short, medium and longer term. In preparing the programme, the Department and local authorities also took into account the 2008 Forfás Report – Assessment of Water and Wastewater Services for Enterprise, which examined the future needs of enterprise in NSS gateways and hubs and identified a number of areas where existing or future capacity was constrained.

Addressing such deficits requires a combination of accelerated investment in water conservation to address unsustainable levels of unaccounted for water, and the provision of new and upgraded infrastructure. Consequently, the Programme's water supply component, including water conservation works, comprises some 70 projects in progress with a value of over €500 million, some 180 contracts to be progressed to construction over the period 2010 – 2012 with a value of over €800 million and some 100 schemes on which planning work will continue.