Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 240: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of water services capital contracts in existence in 1997; and the number of water services capital contracts each year between 1997 and 2011. [10297/11]

Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 241: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of water services capital projects completed in 1997; and the number of water service's capital projects completed each year between 1997 and 2010. [10298/11]

Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 242: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will detail the funding provided for water conservation projects in 1997; and the funding provided for such projects each year between 1997 and 2011. [10299/11]

Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 268: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the funding provided for water services infrastructure in 1997 and the funding provided each year between 1997 and 2011. [10296/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Question Nos. 240 to 242, inclusive, and 268 together.

Almost €6 billion in Exchequer funding has been invested in water services infrastructure between 1997 and 2010. The expenditure is administered through 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 first rolling 3-year Water Services Investment Programme was launched in July 2000 to meet identified water services needs. The water services investment programme 2010 – 2012 is the current such plan, and is available in the Oireachtas library along with previous plans.

Responsibility for the administration of the Rural Water Programme, which includes group water schemes and small public water and sewerage schemes, has been devolved to local authorities since 1997. The selection and approval of individual schemes for advancement and funding under the programme, within the overall priorities set by my Department and subject to the block grant allocation provided, is therefore a matter for the local authorities.

Total Exchequer expenditure on Water Services capital works in the years 1997 to 2010 is outlined in the following table:

Expenditure under the Water Services Investment Programme includes spending on water conservation. Following the launch of the national water conservation programme in 2002, some €168m was spent between 2003 and 2010 on water conservation and annual spending on this measure in these years is outlined in the table.

As the rural water programme is devolved to local authorities, information on the activity in terms of contracts underway or projects completed in any year is available from the individual local authorities. The water services investment programme 2010-2012 outlines the number of major contracts which it is anticipated will commence in the period together with details of schemes in planning. Schemes can comprise a series of contracts, for example for treatment plants and networks. Statistics on activity under the Water Services Investment Programme from 1997 to 2009 generally relate to schemes, while data set out in the table in relation to the number of projects completed in 2010 relates to contracts.