166 Mr. Hilliard asked the Minister for the Environment if the £18 million announced by him on RTÉ news bulletins on Tuesday, 21 January 1997, to offset water group schemes and water metered charges is included in Vote 25 in the 1997 Estimates for the public service; and if not, from where this £18 million will be provided. [2250/97]

The recently announced package of measures which provides for a new system of block grants to enable local authorities carry out their programmes for small water and sewerage schemes and to deal with group schemes, will be financed out of my Department's capital provision for water supply and sewerage schemes. A sum of £150.63 million, up by nearly £29 million on 1996, has been included in the 1997 Estimate for this purpose.