Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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261. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department has given consideration to the approval to proceed towards the provision of improved sewerage infrastructure in nine towns and villages (details supplied) in County Leitrim. [21165/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013 provides for the development of a comprehensive range of new water services infrastructure in County Leitrim. The Programme includes contracts under construction and to commence to the value of some €29 million in County Leitrim during the period of the Programme.

The Programme aims to prioritise projects that target environmental compliance issues and support economic and employment growth. A key input to the development of the Programme was the assessment of needs prepared by local authorities, including Leitrim County Council, in response to my Department’s request to the authorities in 2009 to review and prioritise their proposals for new capital works in their areas. These were subsequently appraised in my 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 were more strategically important at that time.

The Leitrim Towns and Villages Sewerage Scheme – Bundle No. 2 (9 Villages – Drumshanbo, Ballinamore, Carrigallen, Dromod, Glenfarne, Leitrim Village, Mohill, Rossinver and Manorhamilton) was not amongst the priority contracts and schemes selected for inclusion in the current Programme.

Progress under the Water Services Investment Programme was reviewed in mid-2011 and through this process, consideration was given to any newly emerging priority contracts and schemes submitted by local authorities for addition to the Programme. Leitrim County Council applied to have the scheme (7 Villages – Drumshanbo, Ballinamore, Carrigallen, Dromod, Leitrim Village, Mohill and Manorhamilton) included in the Programme but again the scheme was not determined as being appropriate by my Department for inclusion in the Programme at that time. The Council’s submission did not request the inclusion of Glenfarne or Rossinver Villages.

A revised submission, again not including the villages of Glenfarne or Rossinver, for the inclusion of the scheme into the Water Services Investment Programme was submitted by the Council and a letter issued to them from my Department on 5 April 2013 requesting that the Council undertake a focused review of the Preliminary Report. In particular the Council was asked to take account of recent small scheme funding provided by my Department under the Rural Water Programme (RWP).

Under this programme an allocation of almost €1.25 million towards Wastewater Compliance Works to address Environmental Protection Agency wastewater discharge authorisation requirements was notified by my Department to Leitrim County Council in March 2013 .

Responsibility for the administration of the RWP has been devolved to local authorities since 1997. The selection and approval of individual scheme proposals 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 water services authorities. Accordingly, the letter of 5 April requested that the outcomes of this investment should be taken into account in any new submission by the Council.