Mr. Fintan Towey:

I will respond initially and colleagues may then come in. On the derogation, I do not think there is any issue around the will to seek to retain it. We operate within the legal bounds of the water framework directive, which sets out the criteria that need to be met in order to sustain an exception to the general rules that apply across all of Europe. We have that exception in place. It is based on objective criteria relating to Ireland. It is conditional on us demonstrating that we do not have a degradation in water quality, are improving water bodies in substandard condition and that water bodies in good condition are not deteriorating. That is where the focus has to be - on demonstrating that we are achieving the necessary improvements to water quality. That is the basis on which we will seek to argue for the retention of the derogation. Clearly, we have to improve our performance in order to come with a compelling argument.

The issue the Deputy highlighted regarding raw sewage is of enormous concern. It has been clearly highlighted in monitoring by the Environmental Protection Agency in relation to wastewater discharges. The EPA identified the instances where that still occurs. There is a programme of actions under way led by Uisce Éireann. I will ask Uisce Éireann to expand on it in a moment. Uisce Éireann, as the Deputy knows, is predominantly funded by the Exchequer. About 20% of its expenditure is funded through charges to non-domestic users. About 80% is provided by the Exchequer. Within the funding provided, it is important that non-compliance instances are prioritised for remediation. There is a plan in place. I do not have the specifics in front of me but I think that by 2026, the instances of discharge of raw sewage will come to an end. To bring that about, there will be a series of upgrades of wastewater treatment plants. The process of upgrading those plants is not a simple business. It is a significant project and a large investment and requires various consents. It will be a multiyear process. That is why it will be another couple of years before those issues are resolved. Perhaps Uisce Éireann would like to expand on that.