Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

As a Kilkenny man, I am very fond of west Cork. It is a part of the country I am very familiar with. On the issue in Castletownshend, it is simply unacceptable that we have raw sewage discharging into watercourses. It is something this Government is determined to address. We have had a number of these issues raised consistently by Deputies. We need to make significant progress over the next number of years.

The Deputy will appreciate that, since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water service planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local level, including investment in wastewater treatment plants and returning wastewater safely to the environment in an efficient and sustainable manner. The prioritisation and progression of individual projects is a matter for determination by Irish Water. The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, is a key statutory body for the investigation of complaints of pollution and for the enforcement, both directly and through oversight of Irish Water and local authorities, of environmental legislation in Ireland, including compliance in regard to licensed urban wastewater discharges. The EPA's recent report on urban wastewater shows that while many serious challenges remain, Irish Water is continuing to make progress and is improving performance of our wastewater systems. Irish Water has reduced the number of priority wastewater sites listed by the EPA, it has increased the number of large towns and cities that now meet the required EU standards for wastewater discharges, and it continues to reduce the number of towns and villages discharging untreated wastewater.

However, while there is still a long complex of work lying ahead for Irish Water, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and I are eager to see faster progress on the delivery of projects wherever this is possible. As part of budget 2022 the Minister secured funding of more than €1.57 billion to support water services. This includes €1.459 billion comprising current expenditure of €629 million and capital expenditure of €830 million in respect of domestic water service provision by Irish Water. The overall investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and wastewater services, support improved water supplies throughout Ireland, including rural Ireland, and support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in rivers, lakes and marine areas. This is key to addressing Ireland's shortcomings in water and wastewater infrastructure, including compliance with the urban wastewater treatment directive.

Specifically in regard to Castletownshend, I understand from Irish Water that planning permission for the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant and network infrastructure was granted in November and works will commence in 2022. While ensuring wastewater discharging into Castlehaven meets appropriate discharge standards, this new plant will also bring benefits to Castletownshend in terms of health, integrity of the environment and improved water quality for all.

In regard to the issue raised by the Deputy on Shannonvale, again, that is unacceptable. That is something I am more than happy to take up with Irish Water and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien.

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