Mr. Noel Byrne:

I will touch first on the infringement. In 2019, Ireland was found to be non-compliant with 28 agglomerations as part of the infringement case. There are still 13 of those on the EPA's priority list. We have highlighted those and they need to be addressed to bring them into compliance with the directive.

The EPA has highlighted in a report the concerns over delays. We have seen that and it is something we particularly want Irish Water to address.

As for addressing the underlying causes of the delays, what we have noticed is that generally these are nearly in the pre-construction phase. Once Irish Water gets a plant to the construction point, you do not see the delays after that. It is the pre-construction phase. It is in the early phases. For example, Ringsend, which should have been compliant with the directive pre-2000 and is so late getting to the compliance stage, will achieve compliance in 2023. We will report, it is hoped, a full-year compliance for 2024 and that will achieve the directive compliance. Arklow, from a treatment plant perspective, should be done by 2025.

In the infringement case, we have a number of networks. They will be slower. The networks are looking at drainage area plans to address the issues in the networks. They are currently assessing the problem, but once they get to understand what the problem is, they will have to look at what steps need to be taken to address those issues and bring those up to a satisfactory standard to ensure the sewage is collected, brought to the treatment plant and adequately treated at that stage.

It definitely is a significant issue. It is something we have highlighted. What we have said to Irish Water is that it needs to look at the underlying causes of these delays in all of these pre-construction cases. They are not all necessarily linked to planning or compulsory purchase orders, CPOs. That is what needs to be looked at.