Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to get a better understanding of how the process works and the level of control the Minister has as to where the capital finding is eventually invested. As Deputy Ó Broin said, representatives from Irish Water appeared before the committee a few weeks ago. When Irish Water was established, it had an horizon window where the investment needed to be paid back in a 15-year or 20-year period otherwise it would not be viable. It is not feasible to repay the investment in that period for smaller towns and villages.

There are two issues. First, it does not hit Irish Water's radar because it does not get any return on the investment. Second, although we need to sustain rural areas and keep our smaller towns and villages alive, there has been a significant decline in population in villages because there is no wastewater treatment capacity. I could list a number of villages in County Wicklow where there has been no investment in water services for 20 years and there is no capacity to allow them to grow.

What influence does the Minister have in how Irish Water directs the money? Its representatives told us it is approaching the local authorities to get the top three priorities regarding villages. Can the Minister direct Irish Water to ring-fence a percentage of that capital investment for supporting smaller towns and villages to sustain them and help us with the housing crisis? Twenty or 30 houses could easily be built in each town or village tomorrow morning, which would help.