Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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466. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide funding for a municipal wastewater treatment plant for Corofin, County Galway to allow for the development of the village; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63297/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department builds its strategic water policy and infrastructure delivery programmes around the National Planning Framework 2018-2040 and the National Development Plan 2021-2030. Investment is primarily delivered through Uisce Éireann, while my Department operates the Rural Water Programme directly.

Since 1 January 2014, Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Uisce Éireann takes a strategic, nationwide approach to asset planning and investment, and meeting customer requirements. In this regard, the prioritisation and progression of individual projects and programmes is a matter for determination by Uisce Éireann.

The Programme for Government supports the uptake of Uisce Éireann’s Small Towns and Villages Growth Programme 2020-2024, which will provide water and waste water growth capacity in smaller settlements that would otherwise not be provided for in Uisce Éireann's capital investment plan.

Complementary to Uisce Éireann’s Programme, on 28 April 2022 I announced a new funding measure, as an advance stage of the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2022-2025, for the waste water collection and treatment needs of villages and settlements that currently do not have access to public waste water services. An allocation of €50 million has been committed under the National Development Plan up to 2025 for the measure which will focus on areas of most need based on housing and environmental criteria.

The measure was open to all rural local authorities to submit, on a priority basis, up to two applications for funding by the deadline of 15 September 2022. Galway County Council have submitted applications for Clarinbridge and Craughwell.

The first round of funding will follow a demonstration project model approach and will allow for the development of appropriate longer-term strategies, protocols and better inform future funding needs for the progressive development of public waste water collection and treatment infrastructure in villages/settlements that are currently without these services.