Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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754. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide in tabular form a county by county breakdown of funding under the rural water programme from 2010 to 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34438/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Responsibility for the administration of the Rural Water Programme, which includes group water schemes, group sewerage 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 allocations provided, is therefore a matter for local authorities.

Group water schemes may also qualify for a subsidy towards the operational costs of supplying domestic water in respect of each house connected to the scheme. €2 5.5 million has been provided this year to cover the costs of this subsidy scheme and towards the salary costs of Rural Water Liaison Officers. This subsidy scheme is also administered by the local authorities. Payments under this scheme are recouped to local authorities by my Department out of the Local Government Fund as demand arises rather than on the basis of block grant allocations.

The information requested is set out in the following table: