Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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975. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to set out his plans to allocate additional funding for sewerage treatment schemes for 2015 to Leitrim County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20734/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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My Department notified local authorities of their block grant allocations under the 2015 Rural Water Programme earlier this month.

Responsibility for the administration of the programme, under which funding is provided for group water and group sewerage schemes, has been devolved to local authorities since 1997. The selection, prioritisation and approval of individual group 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 local authorities.

In order to complete as much of the works as possible under the programme, local authorities will be given the opportunity later this year to identify funding which may not be drawn down under the measure it was notified for and to request that any such funding be transferred to other measures where it will be expended in 2015. This will allow authorities, including Leitrim County Council, to seek additional funding for specific measures, including group sewerage schemes, where the authority is satisfied that such funding will be required in 2015.