Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of the upgrading of rural town and village schemes to further housing development. The Deputy highlighted the importance of doing this, particularly in Askeaton in his own native county of Limerick. This is something on which we must focus on if we are going to achieve our housing targets and get construction going again in the parts of the country where it is needed. Under Project Ireland 2040 and looking ahead, we have to invest money in water and wastewater infrastructure if we are to achieve our regional targets and get the regional balance we want in housing development, as well as jobs and so on. It is important that Limerick would be a major part of that space as well.

Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local level. Irish Water as a single national utility is taking a strategic nationwide approach to asset planning and investment and meeting customer requirements. Investment in water services is a key factor in enabling proper planning and sustainable development in physical and economic terms and in national, regional and local contexts. Towns like Askeaton are a major part of that. Irish Water is proposing to invest in a range of programmes that will support growth at national, regional and local levels. Irish Water will also play a key role in implementing Project Ireland 2040, which incorporates the national planning framework and the national development plan.

Irish Water's water services strategic plan, WSSP, sets out the strategic objectives for its delivery of water services over 25 years up to 2040 to ensure the provision of clean safe drinking water, the effective management of wastewater, environmental protection and support for social and economic development. The Irish Water business plan, "Transforming Water Services In Ireland to 2021", sets out its short to medium-term planning in implementing the first phase of the water services strategic plan. While the Irish Water business plan sets out the planned level of operational and capital expenditure over this period, the actual allowed operational expenditure and capital investment is decided on by the economic regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU. To this end, Irish Water submits a water charges plan based on the WSSP and a business plan for given regulatory periods to the CRU. Irish Water also developed an investment plan based on a five-year investment planning horizon from 2017 to 2021, which aligns to the WSSP and the seven-year business plan 2014-2021.

Irish Water must optimise investment decisions to ensure that it utilises scarce capital by making investments that deliver the best possible service improvements while maximising value for money and should undertake this in conjunction with the local authority in each area. In the case of Limerick, the link-up with Irish Water would be very important for key sites and areas of towns and villages that have to be developed. A substantial proportion of investment by the State through Irish Water over the next ten years will be focused on programmes to improve compliance with relevant public health and environmental standards. This will involve implementation of the measures contained within the river basin management plan for Ireland 2018 to 2021 and the achievement of the outcomes identified. Through Irish Water’s capital investment plan, it is implementing the capital investment programme, which prioritises investment decisions to ensure it utilises available funding most effectively by making investments that deliver the biggest benefit while maximising value for money.

One of Irish Water’s key goals is that the same standard of service for water and wastewater will apply no matter where someone lives in the country. Achieving this objective will take time in accordance with the varying condition of the assets. Certainly, in the case of Askeaton, where a system was put in place for 550 people and where there is now double the population, it is certainly an area that needs to be addressed. I will raise the specifics of the two towns the Deputy has mentioned directly with Irish Water to get a more detailed response for him.

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