Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 November 2021
15. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress made on the delivery of a sewage scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55080/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraResidents in Crossbarry, including Cluain na Croise, Gleann Alainn, Cúl na Gréine and across the rest of the village, have endured a defective sewerage scheme over many years since the developer left the site. It is not working for them. It was part of a pilot scheme at an early stage, but did not advance. It is inevitable that, sooner or later, Irish Water or the State will have to step in and resolve the issue. I want to get an update on advancing the project.
I thank the Deputy for his ongoing representations on behalf of the community in Crossbarry. As he said, on 21 September last year I announced allocations under a new multi-annual capital investment programme which was developed to provide a water infrastructure resolution programme for 2019-2021. That will allow a progressive resolution of housing estates with developer-provided water infrastructure. It will enable us to take the infrastructure and estates into charge.
The focus of the first multi-annual programme is on the estates, towns and villages where the resolution involves connecting their water services to the public network. Over 1,000 homes will come in to the public network that heretofore would not have been. The programme will also support a number of pilot projects where connection is not feasible in the immediate future. These pilot projects, including Crossbarry, County Cork, which is the project to which the Deputy referred, together with a major study, are currently being undertaken by Irish Water and are due to be completed in quarter 2 of 2022. That will inform the future policy consideration of resolving substandard developer-provided infrastructure with sustainable solutions.
On 22 October, Cork County Council submitted a report on the proposed pilot project at Crossbarry. The report is being considered by an expert panel, which will bring the recommendations forward to me. It has a central role in reviewing bid proposals and making recommendations for the funding of individual projects. I am awaiting the report. Following the Deputy's parliamentary question, I will make further inquiries to try to expedite that review and get it to me as soon as possible. I want to be able to improve the situation for people in areas like Crossbarry. I am awaiting the report and will chase it up following the Deputy's question.
I know the Minister is very aware of the situation. We have discussed the situation in Crossbarry. I want to acknowledge that the Minister has brought forward a scheme and has recognised the difficulties for people in Crossbarry. There has been considerable back and forth between the council and Irish Water and the Department. I want to try to understand whether any further outstanding information is required or if all of the details are available.
Crossbarry was part of an earlier pilot scheme which, it seems, focused only on smaller settlements. It is possible that Crossbarry can open up further development ground and deal with the wider village. I want to confirm that the scheme now being considered involves larger schemes and not just smaller stand-alone schemes, and could serve their wider village and open up the development ground beside it.
Following the Deputy's question, I will endeavour to expedite the review of the submission that we received on 22 October. I am expecting that in the coming weeks. As he knows, I will visit his constituency very shortly and will endeavour to have an update around that time.
A detailed review of a number of projects is being carried out, which includes how the pilot project worked and how it could potentially be extended. We need a more robust scheme, to be frank. The Minister of State, Deputy Burke, alluded to that in a previous response. We are working on a scheme to partner with local authorities with regard to towns and villages that do not have any wastewater infrastructure. I know that is not specific to Crossbarry in this instance but there are other towns and villages across the country that need to be addressed, which will not be addressed solely through the Irish Water capital programme. We need to see how that can be speeded up. As I said, I will ask officials to expedite the review of this submission and revert to the Deputy.
I wish to acknowledge the progress that has been made and thank the Minister. As he can well imagine, it has been very difficult for residents over many years. They thought they were in a pilot scheme. They have experienced backups in the sewer, smells and nuisance. More recently, they have had to value their homes, which is being impeded by this issue.
This has been going on for a number of years. Some have sought to sell their homes and move out. It has been very difficult. We need a solution in a timely manner. I appreciate that the Minister is progressing this. Every effort should be made to ensure that the scheme is delivered in a timely manner. Whether it is Irish Water or Cork County Council, once there is a green light there should be every opportunity for the scheme to advance quickly and be brought to construction.
The Deputy can be assured that I am acutely aware of the issue in Crossbarry thanks to his representations to me. There are, unfortunately many towns and villages like Crossbarry across the country that need resolutions to this issue, including those that have deficient wastewater infrastructure or do not have any wastewater infrastructure at all. I can assure the Deputy that we will move as quickly as we can on this. The review is detailed and needs to be carried out. The submission involves a technical review and needs to provide clarity as to where we go next.
I would like to bring that to a conclusion very shortly. I will engage directly with the Deputy when I have that update. Again, I thank him for his continued representations on behalf of the community in Crossbarry.
