Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 349: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the progress of a sewerage scheme (details supplied) in County Mayo. [37005/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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My Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2010-2012, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library, includes a contract for wastewater treatment plants and associated networks for the Belmullet, Foxford and Charlestown Sewerage Scheme to advance to construction during the period of the Programme at an estimated cost of €14.3 million.

My Department's assessment of the Council's two foreshore licence applications for the Belmullet scheme is substantially complete but any decision on them must await the Environmental Protection Agency's decision on the Council's wastewater discharge licence application for the Belmullet plant. I understand that the Council has also applied to the Agency for wastewater discharge licences for the Foxford and Charlestown plants. As the discharge licences are matters to be dealt with between the Council and the Agency, further information on progress with those applications may be had from the Council.

Mayo County Council must await the grant of the foreshore and discharge licences before it can issue the certificate of completion of planning for the proposed contract and progress the appropriate contract documentation.

My Department expects to issue a decision on Mayo County Council's design brief for the appointment of consultants to advance the procurement of the three wastewater treatment plants and associated works under a single Design Build Operate (DBO) contract early in 2012. This decision will also assist the Council to determine the scale and scope of the works to be carried out on the collection systems at the three locations, and whether to incorporate those works into the DBO contract or to procure them under separate contracts.