Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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1628. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of a proposed water scheme (details supplied) in County Mayo; the reason for the delay in establishing same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35170/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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My Department’s new Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2016-2018 includes funding for new group water schemes, through Measure 3. This measure supports social and economic development in rural towns and villages and their hinterlands by providing new group water schemes where public water supply schemes or private wells are not an option.

Local authorities were invited in January 2016 to submit bids under the new programme. Mayo County Council included the proposed Kilmurray Group Water Scheme in its bids under Measure 3. In total, 58 Bids were received from 16 local authorities requesting funding under this measure.

An Expert Panel was convened by my Department to examine the 2016 bids from local authorities for projects under a number of the programme’s measures, including Measure 3, and to make recommendations to my Department on funding. The Panel recommended a priority list of 11 schemes under Measure 3 to my Department, which accepted the recommendations in full when approving the rural water allocations for 2016. The priority list recommended by the Panel did not include the proposed Kilmurray Group Water Scheme.

As the approvals under Measure 3 were for the duration of the programme, there is currently no scope for any additional schemes.

A copy of the Expert Panel's report and consideration of all proposals under the programme is available on my Department's website at the following link: .