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Wastewater Treatment

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 March 2022

Thursday, 3 March 2022

Questions (115)

James O'Connor

Question:

115. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of the investment in wastewater treatment facilities to increase available service lands for housing development. [12137/22]

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Oral answers (6 contributions)

I would like to ask the Minister of State to give the House an update on work that has been undertaken by his Department on wastewater treatment facilities. Wastewater treatment is a key part of the development of any new housing infrastructure but it is a particular issue in my own constituency, where many housing developments are being held up in multiple settings. Particular areas of concern are Midleton, Youghal, Killeagh, Mitchelstown and Carrigtohill. I would appreciate if the Minister of State could furnish us with some details of his work in that area.

The programme for Government commits to funding Irish Water's capital investment plan for water and wastewater infrastructure on a multi-annual basis. The National Development Plan 2021-2030 commits to almost €6 billion in capital investment by Irish Water in the period 2021-2025, of which more than €4.5 billion will be Voted Exchequer funding for domestic water services. As part of budget 2022, funding of more than €1.57 billion was secured to support water services. This includes €1.459 billion for domestic water services provision by Irish Water.

Irish Water is supporting the delivery of Housing for All through investment in growth. Irish Water has developed an approach to identifying future water services demand and prioritising it for delivery where there is clear evidence that strategic investment is required to support housing delivery. On timely delivery of connections, Irish Water will ensure that its network delivery stream supports timely delivery of housing connections. On self-lay accreditation, an accreditation scheme will be advanced to facilitate developers in providing water services infrastructure, provided agreed standards are met. This is an accredited contractor scheme that will be led by Irish Water. I think it has fantastic potential. Irish Water and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities will review the water connection policy to address any issues with first mover disadvantage. Water and wastewater capacity registers were published on the Irish Water website on 24 November 2021.

The Deputy will understand that the progress of individual wastewater plants and infrastructure is a matter for Irish Water. As we modernise our infrastructure it is inevitable that capacity constraints will arise in certain locations. However, the funding provided by this Government is ensuring that water and wastewater infrastructure investment is supporting the Government's overall housing targets. I am assured by Irish Water that it is also committed to this agenda and I know that it works closely with local authorities to ensure that local development plan-led priorities are aligned as much as possible.

I thank the Minister of State for the response. Unfortunately in my own constituency there are many pertinent questions that still need to be answered. That has been the case for a very long time, preceding the Minister of State's entry into government and the entry into the Department of the Ministers present. I want to do a lot of work on this issue because we need it to build new homes in my constituency. Many younger families cannot find suitable, affordable rental accommodation but aspire to buying their own home. It is just not an option because there is such demand on the supply chain in the east Cork area, which has been exacerbated by poor wastewater infrastructure. I appeal directly to my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, who is doing excellent work in his Department, to come down to Cork East. It is something we have discussed. I want to bring him to Mitchelstown, Midleton, Cobh and Carrigtohill to see for himself the inadequacies in investment. They are unmistakably a serious issue when it comes to housing development in east Cork.

I wish to reassure the Deputy in respect of Mitchelstown and Carrigtohill. It is important. The investment the Government has put in has been significant. We are working with Irish Water to achieve those connections. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, has published the information note on self-lay, which is an important step forward in getting competent and certified third-party contractors to work with Irish Water to pursue these projects. At the end of quarter 4, Irish Water responded to 83% of connection inquiries and 76% of the connection applications within 16 weeks. My colleague, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, will give a commitment to visit and try to progress these schemes as a matter of urgency.

I acknowledge that commitment from the Minister and thank him. I hope the visit can be arranged as soon as possible. The reason I wanted to bring this to the floor of the Dáil is that it has been enormously frustrating trying to get this issue moved on. I have many concerns with the management structure of Irish Water as an entity, how we as parliamentarians and public representatives can have any input into the work it does and how accountable it is to this House and the political system when it comes to inadequacies and failings on its part. I welcome that the Minister and Department will give a particular focus to this area. Above all else, it is about getting houses built, which we need to do. In the east Cork area, which is one of the State's key strategic growth areas when it comes to housing, we need this investment urgently because we can deliver the housing units that are so desperately needed for younger families.

I wholeheartedly agree. These towns are certainly under pressure from the growth of Cork itself.

It is critically important that our ambitions for housing delivery, as set out in Housing for All, are met and that these communities can grow and these important towns can develop and prosper. The investment we are making as a Government is a significant proportion of that effort and, critically, we are working with Irish Water to ensure there is the capacity to deliver. That is the really important part of it. It is a critical issue in Cork and elsewhere in the country that we get our wastewater infrastructure up to a modern, efficient standard in order that housing can be developed and communities can grow and prosper.

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