asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the overall cost of the Portaferry sewerage scheme;(2) what was the estimated total cost of the original full treatment scheme for sewage disposal at Portaferry.

Final costs of the current Portaferry sewerage scheme involving outfall away from the shore is not yet available. Current estimates are that the scheme will cost approximately £0·35 million. The original part-treatment scheme envisaged merely screening and sedimentation of sewage. The resultant effluent would have been piped to a stream and discharged on the Lough shore near the ferry slipway. The cost of that scheme at current prices is estimated at £0·22 million.