James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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34. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the acceleration of housing in eastern areas of County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23015/21]

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I raise the exceptionally important problem of a waste water treatment plant in the Mitchelstown area and Irish Water. It is holding up two housing developments that are ready to go in the area which means local people from the town and the wider community are unable to get homes there. It is completely unacceptable. I have been working alongside the local Fianna Fáil councillors there and I ask for the Minister's assistance. Perhaps the Minister will indulge me by telling me how his Department can assist in getting Irish Water to put the infrastructure that is needed in Mitchelstown in place.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Tá an cheist seo faoi thithíocht. On the Deputy's specific question, I can take that up. To follow on from previous Deputies and our colleagues have said, there is work to be done by Irish Water. They have more funding this year than they have had in many years. The national development plan review includes some requests about provision of waste water treatment and increasing capacity particularly in rural towns and villages and also in our regions. I know it is acute in Cork. I met with Deputy O'Connor and we discussed it. I am happy to convene a meeting with Irish Water on it but we are trying to drive on its capital programme. As Deputies O'Connor and Stanton have rightly said, we cannot deliver housing without waste water and fresh water capacity. It is a challenge but one that is surmountable. We will not be left wanting for funds but it is about delivery now. The local authorities also have a role. We will come up with quite an innovative solution in the summer, subject to approval by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

On Question No. 34, which relates to the provision of housing for County Cork, the programme for Government includes a commitment to deliver over 50,000 homes. I will provide the Deputy with the written answer. Cork County Council, which is one of the exemplars on the delivery of social homes, delivered 546 social homes in 2020. In 2021, Covid will impact somewhat but the council is on target to deliver 740 new social homes supported by the Government. The construction status report of the fourth quarter showed a total of 29 projects on site to deliver a total of 569 social homes in Cork county. The Deputy has been a very strong advocate for affordable housing and Cork county will play a leading role in affordable housing for working people.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his comprehensive answer. I will certainly work alongside him to continue to tackle these issues. However, the reality with Irish Water and its treatment of my constituents in Cork East is that Mitchelstown is listed on the capital plan from 2020 to 2024 but funding has not been provided. I want to tell the Minister in the strongest terms that this is completely unacceptable. Just down the road in Glanmire there have been multiple water outages too. We have a serious problem with Irish Water in Cork East and I need the Minister's assistance. I look forward to working with him proactively to deal with these particular issues. Down the road, Midleton is a huge town with potential to grow. Multiple housing developments, which are badly needed, in close proximity to Cork need the water infrastructure as well. It has to be said, they also need schools.

The lack of waste water treatment facilities and a freshwater supply for new houses is holding back the development of housing in my municipal district and for the people of Mitchelstown. Perhaps the Minister will be able to reply on that.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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It is about the delivery of the capital plan. The Deputy is correct, in that Mitchelstown, Glanmire and Midleton have capacity issues. He has raised this with me before. We need to see the delivery of the capital programme. I am happy to meet the Deputy regarding these specific issues in the towns in question. We will not be able to deliver the affordable homes we need for working people unless we can make progress in that area. I firmly believe we will.

The serviced sites funding will support the delivery of a further 360 affordable homes in Cork county, including 70 cost rental homes in Carrigaline. In addition, two of the eight newly selected sites for the cost rental scheme are located in Cork city. I will announce the precise locations in the coming weeks. Later in the summer, we will publish our Government plan, Housing for All. I am happy to work with the Deputy, who is a strong advocate for his constituency, on the delivery of the upgrade to the waste water treatment infrastructure in the three towns in question and of affordable housing for working people.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his very good answers on affordable housing. This is of enormous concern to many younger buyers. As the youngest Member of the Oireachtas, I hear these concerns almost every day from people who are struggling to access housing in their communities. I am delighted to hear that Cork County Council is facilitating some of the very first developments under the Minister’s tenure. I ask him to ramp up the level of development in order that it is spread right around the county. I am talking about places such as Midleton, Killeagh, Youghal and Cobh. These are growing areas that need housing for young populations. An interesting statistic is that the east Cork area has one of the youngest working populations in the country, as well as one of the fastest growing. Therefore, we need the housing stock. We also need investment from Irish Water. The same has to be said for north Cork, including Mitchelstown. I am delighted progress is being made in Mallow but the people of Mitchelstown need the Minister’s support. I thank him for his answers today.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Affordable housing and its delivery for working people are central to the Government’s response to the housing crisis. As a Government, we believe in homeownership. It is a just and honest aspiration and it is one that should be supported by the State. That is why the affordable housing Bill we published yesterday is so important. It is to deliver a suite of measures to people all over the country who heretofore found they had been left out of the housing market. These measures will work. I thank the Deputy for his support in that regard.

On the delivery of capital infrastructure, the Irish Water capital investment plan is crucial. I meet representatives of Irish Water regularly at management level to encourage them to expedite the delivery of projects. I am happy to work with Deputy O’Connor on the three towns in his constituency and to facilitate a meeting with Irish Water in that regard. The capital plan Irish Water has is ambitious. We have ground to make up regarding waste water infrastructure all across the country, not just along the western seaboard. This is acutely the case in certain areas.