John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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508. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the status of an application for funding submitted by Kilkenny County Council to his Department on 21 November 2014; and if Irish Water / his Department will approve the funding for this project. [7036/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I assume the Question relates to a proposed group sewerage scheme at Shellumsrath, Co Kilkenny. Responsibility for the administration of my Department's Rural Water Programme, under which funding is provided for group sewerage schemes, has been devolved to local authorities since 1997.

Following previous submissions relating to Shellumsrath, Kilkenny County Council included the scheme in its request, received last month, for funding under the 2015 Rural Water Programme. The request gives the costs of the scheme as €1,020,625 and shows the grant due under the Rural Water Programme as €344, 500. The maximum grants available for group sewerage schemes are €6,500 per house or 75% of the scheme costs, whichever is the lesser. I expect to be in a position to announce, in the coming weeks, details of funding to be allocated, by way of block grant allocations, to local authorities under the 2015 Rural Water Programme.

The County Council has specified that the costs of €1,020,625 include€577,625 for a proposed public sewer at Callan Road. However, since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of public water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. The further progression of all public water services capital projects is, therefore, a matter for Irish Water to consider.

Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to

or by telephone on a new dedicated number, 1890 578 578.