Ms Yvonne Harris:

We might need to revisit it. Typically, our model is that if a developer engages with us from the outset and makes the connection application we make a connection offer and there are often terms and conditions associated with that offer. Uisce Éireann immediately offers a field engineer to begin engagement with the developer from the early stages of the development. If that collaborative effort continues through the whole lifecycle of the development it is very unlikely there will be delays in connecting. What often happens is the developer pushes ahead without engaging with Uisce Éireann and starts the build. We have high technical standards. Our objective is obviously to secure public health and ensure water quality is of the correct standard. We want to ensure the technical infrastructure is correct, so when a developer pushes ahead and we then go on site, we find the technical infrastructure does not meet our standards and everyone is on the back foot. That is generally why we have long delays in housing estates. There can be shorter delays due to resourcing or otherwise, but the longer delays are typically because of that lack of engagement and that really is our ask. My colleagues in the CIF know at every event, conference and workshop we attend we ask developers to engage early because it makes life so much easier for everyone and gets people into the homes quicker.