Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 128: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the full extent of requirements in respect of water and group water schemes requested by the local authorities in County Kildare; the time such requests have been awaiting approval; when such schemes were first submitted by the local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15872/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Water services authorities, including Kildare County Council, were asked in July 2009 to submit an assessment of needs for water and sewerage services to my Department. In preparing their assessments, water services authorities were required to take into consideration key environmental and economic criteria in prioritising contracts and schemes to be progressed in their areas. The assessments of needs submitted by Kildare County Council and the other water services authorities were subsequently appraised in my Department in the context of the funds available and key criteria that complemented those used by the authorities.

These processes were a key input to the contracts and schemes included in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2012 , a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library. The Programme includes contracts under construction and to commence to the value of over €172 million in County Kildare during the period of the Programme.

An integral part of the Water Services Investment Programme 2010-2012 , is the review process under which the Programme will be reviewed and updated annually to allow for any re-prioritisation required. My Department wrote to all water services authorities at the end of March 2011 in relation to the annual review. The deadline for receipt of returns was 21 April 2011. Given the short time which has passed since the extensive review of the Programme was completed in 2009/2010, and having regard to the ongoing pressure on Exchequer funding generally, it is anticipated that only minor adjustments will be made to the Programme at this stage.

Kildare County Council has submitted an application to my Department under the review mechanism, which is being carried out using strictly defined criteria. The Council's application is under examination, together with review applications from all water services authorities, and a decision will be made in the coming weeks.

Responsibility for the administration of the Rural Water Programme, which includes group water 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 allocations provided, is therefore a matter for the local authorities. On the basis of information submitted in January 2011, Kildare County Council's 2011 requirements for group water schemes was €927,000. In addition, a submission received from Kildare County Council in January 2011 indicates a requirement of almost €900,000 for small public water supply schemes under the devolved Rural Water Programme.