Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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478. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if the local authorities act independently in respect of the nomination of schemes under the heading for group water or group sewerage schemes, small schemes or others; if approval or funding is required from his Department in respect of such schemes, the number of any such schemes submitted to his Department by Kildare County Council or groups or bodies under the aegis of said council; if capital funding or approval is required from his Department under any particular heading; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36597/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Responsibility for the administration of this Programme, which includes group water schemes, group sewerage schemes and small public water and sewerage schemes, has been devolved to local authorities since 1997.

My Department does not generally provide grants for specific projects under the Rural Water Programme but provides a block grant to local authorities. The investment priorities for this sector in any year are set out in the circular seeking proposals from authorities. In submitting their bids for funds, authorities generally list potential schemes to support the bids. However, the selection, prioritisation 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, remains a matter for the water services authorities, Kildare County Council in this case.

My Department asked local authorities to include in their requests for funding under the 2013 Rural Water Programme proposals for pilot group sewerage schemes which might be viable.

Following an examination of the proposals received, with particular regard to the environmental justification provided and the estimated costs, I approved grant assistance last March towards eight pilot schemes in eight different counties, including one , with an estimated cost of €80,000, at Boston Cottages in Co. Kildare . The second proposal received from Kildare County Council (for Kilmacredock), which had an estimated cost of €800,000, was not selected as a pilot scheme. I approved a further three pilot schemes as a result of a mid-year Review carried out by my Department recently. None of these additional pilot schemes was located in County Kildare

Progress on the selected pilot schemes will be reviewed in due course with a view to deciding how best to proceed with the grant scheme.