Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his ongoing representations on behalf of the community in Crossbarry. As he said, on 21 September last year I announced allocations under a new multi-annual capital investment programme which was developed to provide a water infrastructure resolution programme for 2019-2021. That will allow a progressive resolution of housing estates with developer-provided water infrastructure. It will enable us to take the infrastructure and estates into charge.

The focus of the first multi-annual programme is on the estates, towns and villages where the resolution involves connecting their water services to the public network. Over 1,000 homes will come in to the public network that heretofore would not have been. The programme will also support a number of pilot projects where connection is not feasible in the immediate future. These pilot projects, including Crossbarry, County Cork, which is the project to which the Deputy referred, together with a major study, are currently being undertaken by Irish Water and are due to be completed quarter 2 of 2022. That will inform the future policy consideration of resolving substandard developer-provided infrastructure with sustainable solutions.

On 22 October, Cork County Council submitted a report on the proposed pilot project at Crossbarry. The report is being considered by an expert panel, which will bring the recommendations forward to me. It has a central role in reviewing bid proposals and making recommendations for the funding of individual projects. I am awaiting the report. Following the Deputy's parliamentary question, I will make further inquiries to try to expedite that review and get it to me as soon as possible. I want to be able to improve the situation for people in areas like Crossbarry. I am awaiting the report and will chase it up following the Deputy's question.

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