Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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176. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on making his Department's sewage infrastructure for unsewered villages pilot scheme a multi-annual scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37089/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is providing significant investment in rural water and wastewater infrastructure to support the development of our rural towns and villages.

Uisce Éireann, through its Small Towns and Villages Growth Programme is providing water and waste water growth capacity for smaller settlements across the country drawing on expenditure provided for this purpose.

My Department is committed to continued non-Uisce Éireann investment in rural water infrastructure and under the National Development Plan €50m has been committed to a specific funding measure, for the provision of waste water collection and treatment needs for villages without access to public waste water services.

The approach was designed to support demonstration projects that would inform a longer-term strategic approach to the issue of waste water infrastructure in small villages not currently served by Uisce Éireann.

Earlier this year I approved funding for a number of demonstration projects and their progress will inform future approaches.