Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am not going to take from the Minister's woes. There has been a lot of debate with regard to housing and the need for it within our country. Obviously, as some contributors have already indicated, housing supply and wastewater infrastructure go hand in hand. It has to be said that the lack of investment in wastewater treatment infrastructure is one of the greatest roadblocks in many ways in the supply of housing, particularly across the rural parts of the country.

I will be parochial because I represent Galway East and County Galway when it comes to the provision of housing. Without proper wastewater facilities, new developments are delayed or unviable. Planning permission is also another major issue. Many rural areas cannot approve new housing projects because of wastewater infrastructure, in that it is inadequate or at full capacity. In my own county, there are villages such as Craughwell, Ardrahan, Abbeyknockmoy, Corofin, Barnaderg, Monivea and many more that are stagnant, for want of a better word. They are stuck in time because they cannot develop any further due to the lack of wastewater infrastructure. It is a crying shame when communities that are ripe and are regarded as settlement centres do not have the capacity to invite new people to come in and develop their first home within that settlement area because of the lack of wastewater provision. That does not feel right.

One of the things we have all advocated for, and continue to advocate for, is for rural communities and investment in rural villages, particularly when it comes to wastewater. Heretofore, most of the emphasis has been on the greater urban settings with regard to that kind of investment. It is fair to say that the rural communities are mostly where the rural occupant or rural dweller wants to put his or her first home, particularly the sons and daughters of rural dwellers. There is a win-win there for everyone, because if young couples have an opportunity to build their first home in the local village, they will utilise the local shop, the local post office and local GP. They will be supplying a network of talent to the local GAA and soccer teams, and all of the positive things that go with investing in rural villages. That is something I feel really passionate about. I did not refer to rural schools. There are many rural schools, one of which I visited last weekend, that are crying out for one or two students to save a teacher for next year. That is why I am passionate that we must change the guidelines or the rules pertaining to planning and Irish Water's capacity or ability to be able to deliver wastewater treatment systems.

I know there is a lot of criticism with regard to the sewage or package treatment plants that now seem to be a thing of the past, but they are functioning in many rural villages. If we cannot develop rural wastewater sewage treatment systems in 2025, what are we at? We did that rather efficiently over the last decade or two and they are still functioning in our villages. That also begs the question as to whether we can invest further in those that are malfunctioning as some of them are.

The worrying thing is that the Environmental Protection Agency has repeatedly highlighted the wastewater treatment in many towns and villages because of its failure to meet EU environmental standards. That is affecting the growth in our housing stock. It is also affecting public health, which is something that we should all be very concerned about. What is more worrying than anything is that Irish Water has consistently said that it will take two decades before it can bring the standards with regard to wastewater treatment systems up to where it is practical or usable. That does not sit well with me because I will be long gone by the time that we will have reached that point.

It behoves us, as a Government, and the Department to look at the massive cry for the need for additional housing across the country. We also need to find a mechanism to invest in Irish Water in order for it to invest in the villages and rural towns I am talking about. In the absence of that investment, clearly, the deficits to which I have referred will continue. I have the greatest respect and, in equal measure, sympathy for the Minister because of the task at hand, but at the end of the day, if we are serious about the job at hand and the investment that needs to be made, wastewater treatment systems are a must to unlock the delivery and development of sustainable housing across the country.

See this speech in context