Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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1782. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if 100% funding will be provided to group water schemes for upgrade works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1418/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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My Department's new Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2016 - 2018 was developed through a working group of key stakeholders involving local authorities, the Water Services Transition Office, Irish Water, the National Federation of Group Water Schemes as well as my Department.

Under the new programme there are five different funding measures available for group water schemes as follows:

- Measure 1 - Environmental and public health compliance (group water sector): This measure is aimed at improving water quality in existing group water schemes so that they can achieve compliance with the quality parameters of the Drinking Water Regulations 2014. Under this measure schemes are funded at the rate of 100% in the case of water quality works and at the rate of 85% for other necessary works subject to a maximum of €7,650 per house (based on a cost limit per house for the scheme of €9,000)

- Measure 2 - Enhancement of existing schemes (group water sector): This measure supports projects to make existing group water schemes more efficient in their operation (for example, water conservation, network upgrades and source protection). Under this measure schemes are funded at the rate of 85% subject to a maximum of €7,650 per house (based on a cost limit per house for the scheme of €9,000).

- Measure 3 - Rural development (group water sector): 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. Under this measure schemes are funded at the rate of 85% subject to a maximum of €7,650 per house (based on a cost limit per house for the scheme of €9,000).

- Measure 4 - Transition of group schemes to Public Water Sector (Irish Water): This measure enables group water schemes, where they wish to do so, to be taken in charge with the agreement of Irish Water. Under this measure funding is available at the rate of 100%.

- Measure 5 - Innovation and Research:This measure is aimed at issues in the rural water sector which, given the major transition of water services in Ireland, require new and innovative approaches.  Under this measure projects are funded at the rate of 100%.

Infrastructural improvements to rural water services are essential, which is why the Government funds their improvements through the Rural Water Programme. In 2018, the Government has allocated €20 million for the programme, an increase of 12.4% on the 2017 allocation.

Serious challenges remain in relation to rural water services including in the areas of water quality and future management of group water schemes. In this context, my Department will shortly initiate a short, focused review of the wider investment needs relating to rural water services, including the overall approach to funding group water schemes.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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1783. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to provide funding to smaller villages and towns for community sewerage schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1419/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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My Department’s new Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2016-2018 was developed through a working group of key stakeholders involving local authorities, the Water Services Transition Office, Irish Water, the National Federation of Group Water Schemes as well as my Department. The programme provides for the funding of demonstration Group Sewerage Schemes, through Measure 4(d), where clustering of households on individual septic tanks is not a viable option, particularly from an environmental perspective.

Local authorities were invited in January 2016 to submit bids under the programme. The invitation envisaged no more than two demonstration group sewerage projects being brought forward under the measure in any one year of the three year programme. The demonstrations will allow my Department, over the course of the programme, to determine the appropriate enduring funding levels and relationship with the current grant scheme.

As new demonstration group sewerage schemes have been identified for the duration of the programme, and as only two demonstration projects can be advanced in any given year, my Department does not propose to modify the current programme at this point.

I am conscious of the challenges which remain in relation to rural water services. Consequently I announced last December that my Department will initiate a short, focused review of the wider investment needs relating to rural water services. This review will feed into the consideration of the multi-annual programme from 2019 and any new measures will be reflected in the finalised River Basin Management Plan to be published early this year.