Mr. Sean Laffey:

The number of homes is not particularly large. It is interesting to note that 70% of all the applications we get for connections are for developments of ten houses or fewer. Many of the extant developer-provided infrastructure, DPI, cases relate to developments of fewer than 25 houses.

I could not give the Deputy a cost at the moment because that team I mentioned that we have put in place is assessing every single DPI. We have yet to settle on a final figure because, as we work across the various local authorities, we are finding more that were not listed in the initial survey. All I can say is that it will take about ten years. Some of the solutions are relatively complex because the discharge from existing wastewater treatment plants is going into water bodies, causing environmental damage. We will have to consider a different mechanism for the disposal of the wastewater. I would not like to mislead the committee by giving it a figure. It will be substantial; there is no doubt about that. It is going to take time. However, the technical details associated with getting things fixed are relatively straightforward. The legal issues associated with maintenance and acquiring ownership from companies that have become defunct, acquiring wayleave and acquiring rights of way and access are where the challenges will arise. That will be time-consuming.