Written answers

Tuesday, 19 November 2019

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Water and Sewerage Schemes

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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650. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the group water schemes whose application for funding to be connected to the mains water supply was unsuccessful with respect to applications submitted in each of the years 2008 to 2018 and to date in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47272/19]

Photo of Eoghan MurphyEoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Responsibility for the administration of my Department’s Rural Water Programme, under which funding is provided for group water schemes, has been devolved to local authorities since 1997.

Prior to the commencement of Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme in January 2016; the selection, prioritisation and approval of individual group water scheme proposals for advancement was a matter for the local authorities under the then block grant system. Details of the applications for funding by group water schemes for this period, including those to be connected to the public water supply, is therefore available from the local authorities concerned.

In 2016 my Department moved from an annual block grant approach to a multi-annual, scheme specific approach to funding for the Rural Water Programme. Local authorities were requested in January 2016 to submit their bids for the funding of schemes or projects in their functional areas for consideration by an Expert Panel under the new programme - the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2016-2018.

I accepted in full the recommendations of the Expert Panel on the bids when approving and making allocations under the new programme. A copy of the Panel’s report and consideration of all proposals under the programme and allocations to each local authority is available from my Department’s website at the following link:

In February this year I announced the new Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2019-2021. In parallel local authorities were invited to make bids for schemes and projects for funding. On the 14 October, I announced approvals for the funding cycle based on the recommendations of the Expert Panel who examined the bids including group water schemes proposing to be connected to the public water supply. Local authorities were informed of their approvals and allocations at the same time. Over the coming weeks a copy of the Panel’s report and consideration of all proposals under the Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2019-2021 will be available from my Department’s website.

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