THE Minister for the Environment, Mr Howlin, has announced details of the new annual subsidy to the 145,000 households in group water schemes.
The announcement coincided with the dissolution of the Dail and the formal announcement of the general election by the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton.
The package, which was signalled earlier this year, is designed to extend the benefits of the abolition of water charges to group schemes.
Following protests by people in rural group water schemes in the wake of the abolition of domestic charges in urban areas, the Minister announced his intention to provide the subsidy, which will be payable by county councils.
It means that £75 will be paid each year in respect of every house served by a group scheme that gets its water from a local authority. Households in group schemes receiving water from a private supply will be paid £35 a year.
An advance payment of the subsidy £45 and £25 per house respectively - can be made on application by the schemes.
According to the Minister yesterday, the annual support grant will meet the operating costs of the group water schemes. It will, he said, benefit an estimated 90,000 houses served by group schemes which obtain their supply from a local authority and 55,000 houses in schemes served from private sources.
Group schemes are eligible for the subsidy if they provide a supply of water that is satisfactory in the opinion of the local authority.
"This subsidy, together with other measures in relation to rural water supplies which I am introducing, provides us with a means of effectively tackling the longstanding problem of poor water supplies in many rural areas," the Minister said.
It should put groups on a stronger financial footing and, where necessary, give them the incentive and the means to address "substandard supplies".