Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Committee on Budgetary Oversight
Annual Progress Report 2025: Discussion
2:00 am
Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for that important question. First, water and wastewater are being prioritised in the review of the national development plan. We have separate work ongoing on reviewing the shareholder level of expectation with all commercial State bodies in regard to what the Government expects them to do and what it expects them to deliver. We are progressing that reform as a distinct piece of work in addition to the national development plan. I know there is concern within our party about it not all being about a mega project. There is a need to build capacity in regions, which will help unlock housing supply. Striking that balance will be important in how Uisce Éireann implements the additional capital it will receive. We will work through that with it in the context of maximising delivery and greater abundance in housing supply, which has to be central to everything we are doing. I appreciate the Deputy's feedback. He made an important point about why in the trade-offs that will happen in the national development plan, water and wastewater have to be a serious priority. That means everything cannot be achieved in the envelope that will be available and that is why we want to prioritise it in particular. It is the enabling infrastructure that allows housing supply and broader economic development in regions.