Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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526. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the new grants scheme for the upgrading of bore wells; the rates available to applicants; his plans to expand the grant to new homes which experience the same issues with water mains; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20731/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Housing (Private Water Supply Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020, the grant scheme to support improvement works for a private water supply has been revised.  This revised scheme forms part of the funding investment under Measure 8 of the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2019 to 2021.

Following an examination of the previous arrangements, consultation with stakeholders including local authorities, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Health Service Executive, and consideration of the matter by the multi-stakeholder Rural Water Working Group put in place in 2018, the revised scheme brings into effect the following changes:

- A maximum grant for rehabilitation works of €3,000;

- A maximum grant of €5,000 has been introduced, in cases where the local authority agrees that the most appropriate solution is to provide a new well.

The maximum percentage of approved costs is being increased from 75% to 85%, subject to the total maximum costs of either €3,000 for well rehabilitation or €5,000 for a new well.

Recognising the role of the grant in improving quality, the water quality treatment element (typically filtration and UV treatment) will qualify for 100% funding up to a maximum of €1,000.

The qualifying age of a house before an application can be made remains at 7 years and the period before a further application can be made also remains at 7 years. However, applicants are now permitted to make a second application if the maximum grant was not fully utilised within the seven-year period. 

These changes form part of the larger investment already being made through the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme, to support the communities and local economies of rural Ireland.  The Government continues to work with local authorities to ensure that people living in rural Ireland have access to quality water services, equivalent to those living in urban communities.  

The new grant scheme for private water supplies is administered by the local authorities on behalf of my Department.

In implementing the revised arrangements, my Department has undertaken to conduct a review of the grant scheme after one year of operation to ensure its alignment with policy objectives.