Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I stand to say what I wrote in a letter earlier this week to the Ministers, Deputies Browne and Chambers, and to express my incredulity at the dire situation coming to light in respect of the Uisce Éireann infrastructure deficits in Carlow town. I implore the Department of housing and the Minister for public expenditure and reform, Deputy Chambers, and his Department to hold Uisce Éireann to account as it is dragging its feet on the development and expansion of water and wastewater infrastructure across our country. We, as elected representatives, are proud of our country and determined to do the best for it. We want to see Ireland as the best place in Europe to live, work, raise a family and run a business. At the moment, however, this vision that we all share for our great country is but a shadow of an idea. Why is that the case? In order to encourage anyone to live, work, raise a family or run a business in this great country of ours, we need to offer people a place to live. We need to have opportunities for our citizens to have a place to call home and at the moment, that is not happening in Ireland. It is not because we do not have the land or the developers, or the will to do so. It is, in part, because a State-run entity, namely, Uisce Éireann, is preventing the delivery of homes.

Ireland is a great country and we have many family-run businesses that, for years, in good times and bad, have built homes here. Such businesses still want to build homes in Ireland but a State-run entity, namely, Uisce Éireann, is preventing that home delivery. We all know that our country is experiencing an acute shortage of housing. We have, as I said, many hardworking builders who are willing and are actively seeking the chance to put their shoulders to the wheel and deliver housing for Ireland. They are being hindered in delivering on that desire by the lack of water and wastewater infrastructure across the country.

On 2 April, just last week, a developer in Carlow received a letter from Uisce Éireann in response to a pre-connection inquiry made by that developer. The inquiry related to a water and wastewater connection in Mortarstown for a development of approximately 48 houses. In response, Uisce Éireann said that in order to accommodate the proposed development, an upgrade of Carlow wastewater treatment plant was required. It said the upgrade project was currently at a detailed design stage and the estimated completion date for the upgrade was quarter 1 of 2031, although that is subject to change. The developer, himself a quantity surveyor, QS, said that six years seemed a bit excessive for a treatment plant upgrade. I am no QS but I would go a bit stronger than that and say that a six year timeframe, which is subject to change, is scandalous. What is going on? I need clarification from the Minister on how Irish Water intends to handle this issue in Carlow, especially with regard to the land availability for capacity expansion and the timeline for such a solution. Does Irish Water have a solid plan to increase the capacity in a timely manner? Does it have the necessary lands? When could the tender process for this expansion start? These are the fundamental questions that need to answered soon, given the scale of development waiting on this infrastructure upgrade.

I have not even mentioned the ongoing need for student accommodation in Carlow, which is a thriving university town. There is speculation locally regarding plans for 600 student beds to be delivered in two different locations close to the university, but how will that happen, given the lack of wastewater infrastructure? A person who has purchased a parcel of land at Green Road hopes to develop up to 50-plus residential units but that will not happen either if the 2031 timeline stands.

Everyone knows how detrimental to our society the lack of adequate housing is. Here we have developers with a solution and with the desire to work with Uisce Éireann, which, let us not forget, has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services, planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. I know that under section 7 of the of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 neither the Minister for housing, the Department of housing or the Minister, Deputy Chambers, or his Department have an operational function in the matter I am referring to, or indeed a function in the prioritisation of projects, etc., but they do provide the budget. It is a significant budget of €2.2 billion, in my understanding, with more to come through Apple funding, etc.

I am asking the Department of housing to please send a strong message to Uisce Éireann and to make it loud and clear, whether it is water supply or treatment, that if we are serious about providing homes in our country and making Ireland the best place in Europe to live, work, raise a family and run a business, we need to have this infrastructure in place. Uisce Éireann is dragging its feet and I am asking the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform to hold it to account and to get it to do the work which needs to be done, the work the Government has up put the funding for. It is not good enough for Carlow, it is not good enough for Kilkenny and it is not good enough for Ireland. It needs to be sorted out and the Department of housing and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform need to put more pressure on Uisce Éireann to recognise the urgency here. Quarter 1 of 2031 - tá sé sin dochreidte.

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