asked the Minister for the Environment if he will furnish details of the amount sought, and the amount allocated to each local authority in the country for water and sewerage schemes in the year 1978.

The initial capital allocation for major water and sewerage schemes are made to meet expenditure on (a) schemes in progress and (b) schemes at construction stage for which loans have been sanctioned. As approved new schemes reach construction stage and loans are sanctioned, additional allocations may be made. The 1978 allocations made to date are indicated in column 2 of the table below and the amount sought by each sanitary authority in respect of the relevant schemes is indicated in column 3.

The 1978 allocation to each sanitary authority in respect of the programme of small water and sewerage schemes is indicated in column 4 of the table and the cost of each sanitary authority programme as submitted is indicated in column 5.

Following is the table:—

132.

asked the Minister for the Environment if he will advise Roscommon County Council to have the connection to the No. 2 sewerage scheme carried out free of charge to the householders, particularly those in areas such as Galway Road, Another Road, The Walk and Circular Road, or alternatively, if grants are available for such works, or if he will make grants available.

Roscommon County Council do not intend, I understand, to levy a charge in respect of the connection of existing houses to the new sewers being laid as part of Roscommon sewerage scheme, stage 2. A point of connection will be provided for each house but the provision of the service drain between individual houses and the point of connection to the new sewer will be a matter for each householder. Where the existing sewerage facilities are seriously deficient the cost of connecting to the public sewer would be eligible for grant, subject to compliance with grant requirements generally.