Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 November 2020
403. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the ongoing EU Commission and European Court of Justice legal action against the State for breaches of the urban waste-water treatment directive. [37016/20]
View answerFollowing a judgment in March 2019 by the Court of Justice of the European Union on Ireland's non-compliance with the urban wastewater treatment directive, my Department, accompanied by Irish Water, met with European Commission officials in June last year and proposed a programme of measures to ensure that the findings in the judgment were addressed. My Department is maintaining regular contact with the Commission as the work set out in the programme of measures is progressed, and has submitted its second report of progress. Works have been completed at 16 of the 28 agglomerations identified in the judgment to bring them into compliance with the Directive.
Building water and waste water treatment plants, as well as upgrading or building new water and waste water networks, requires significant and sustained investment. The National Development Plan 2018-2027 provides for significant investment in public water and wastewater infrastructure over the course of the plan to ensure the continued operation, repair and upgrading of Ireland’s water and waste water infrastructure to support social and economic development across the State and continued care of the water environment. Investment in waste water infrastructure is prioritised in the Irish Water Strategic Funding Plan and it is estimated that €1.9bn will be invested in waste water projects from 2019 to 2024.
