Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of funding that will be necessary to provide the infrastructure we need to stimulate the economy post Covid. I believe Irish Water, in particular, is a key driver of this infrastructure. Irish Water needs to be financed to ensure vital services such as water and sewerage are available to stimulate growth in houses being built, in providing serviced sites for commercial activity and in ensuring IDA Ireland has serviced sites to attract foreign direct investment and indigenous investment. The programme for Government contains aspirations for balanced regional development. If they are to be realised, the Government will need immediately to set the agenda for Irish Water and to supply the necessary funding.

I give as an example my own county, Galway. It has been held back because of this lack of investment. Growth centres all around Galway city are at a standstill. Why is this happening? Galway County Council cannot give planning permission for developments because there are no municipal wastewater treatment facilities available in the towns and villages. For example, Craughwell, Corofin, Abbeyknockmoy, Clarinbridge, Kilcolgan, Ballinderreen, Ardrahan, Labane, Turloughmore, Lackagh, Kilconnell, Cappataggle, Mountbellew and so on are precluded from building any housing developments due to decisions by An Bord Pleanála that any development in these towns or villages is premature until a public wastewater treatment plant is built. An Bord Pleanála has compounded the matter by ruling out housing in these areas with individual septic tanks. It has ruled all development out.

Another example is the IDA Ireland site in Athenry. Athenry is at the crossroads of motorways and railways and it is ripe for development but that site does not have any water or sewerage connection so no investors can use that site. Galway County Council has a county development plan setting out the way that County Galway and Galway city will develop, but this plan has also been stalled. For example, we have what we call the Ardaun corridor, stretching east from Galway city towards Athenry. Since we do not have what we call the east Galway wastewater treatment plant on anybody's agenda, no development can happen here. We talk about the congestion of traffic in Galway city. Until we get this investment and Irish Water is fully financed, we will not be making any regional development happen, especially when one looks at an example such as County Galway.

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