Dr. Edmond O'Reilly:

Our remit only extends to settlements where there are currently wastewater services. Where there are settlements with no wastewater services, it is not currently within Uisce Éireann’s remit to start investing in those areas. That is the way Uisce Éireann is currently set up. As I have mentioned, we are working closely with the Department and with local authorities to understand the needs across the board and we are providing assistance in understanding the scale of investment that would be required in such cases. There is a particular issue with stand-alone housing estates that were built in the last 15 or 20 years that have their own stand-alone wastewater systems. There are a significant number of those throughout the country. They are also not within our remit but we are working with local authorities to understand the scale of investment required to bring those up to standard. It is fundamentally the statutory responsibility of the planning authority, under section 180 of the Planning and Development Act, to take in charge such estates. In accordance with existing Government policy guidelines, Uisce Éireann is collaborating with the planning authority from that perspective and is working with it on an ongoing basis.