Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
686. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the Arklow wastewater treatment plant project; if he plans to sign the application for consent which was submitted to his Department by Irish Water to allow the project to progress to the next stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40358/21]
View answerSince 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. The prioritisation and progression of individual projects is a matter for determination by Irish Water.
Under section 16 of the Water Services Act 2013 (as amended by section 46 of the Gas Regulation Act 2013), Irish Water is required to seek the consent of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given with the approval of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to enter into capital commitments. Irish Water must seek Ministerial consent prior to entering into any individual capital commitment (or a series of individual capital commitments in respect of a project) of a value in excess of €20m. This is a financial control and not a project consent.
In the context of the updated Public Spending Code for evaluating, planning and managing the public investment in the project as it proceeds through its life cycle, the Government recently provided approval for Irish Water to proceed to contract award for the construction of the Arklow Waste Water Treatment Plant.
The capital commitment consent request is now under consideration and a decision will issue shortly.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
