Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 November 2013
165. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of money that will be spent per year on Ireland’s water system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47632/13]
View answerThe Exchequer proposes a direct equity investment of €240m towards the capital funding of Irish Water in 2014. This will support projects to be included in Irish Water’s Capital Investment Plan and will ensure that the entity is in a position to take on the water services investment programmes of the 34 water services authorities, including some 80 projects currently in progress. Irish Water will also finance some of its costs and the liabilities transferred from local authorities through borrowings in 2014.
Work is underway on the funding model for Irish Water’s operational costs, to ensure that it can fund the Service Level Agreements being put in place with local authorities for the delivery of water services in 2014. Irish Water is working with local authorities to finalise the 2014 budgets associated with the proposed service level agreements. In parallel with this process, the Department has sought the advice of the Commission for Energy Regulation in relation to anticipated new operational costs associated with new functions for the entity which are likely to arise in 2014. The outcome of these processes will determine the overall funding requirement of Irish Water in 2014 from all funding sources.
