Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this issue, which is of deep concern to residents in Ratoath, as the Minister of State might imagine. There are regular outages there; we had in the region of six significant outages this year and many more instances of low pressure and everything that goes with that in the return, dirty water and the service being unavailable for a period of time. Ratoath is a big and growing community with in the region of 10,000 to 12,000 people living there and with 18,000 people in the wider catchment area who are affected by these outages when they happen. The latest outage was on the bank holiday weekend and in the last 24 hours residents in a number of housing estates were reporting outages and a lack of supply and pressure. I remember that on the hottest day of the year last year there was an outage for the whole day.

The infrastructure is crumbling and creaking, which is acknowledged and not in dispute. There is a plan in place, which is welcome, for investment in the Windmill Hill reservoir and trunk water main. I would like to get an update from the Minister of State on that. My understanding is that works will not commence before the end of the year and that it will be quarter four of 2024 before they will be completed. The Minister of State knows that is a long time away with the current rate of in the region of one outage per month. The impact of these outages is significant. It is a densely populated area with a young and growing population. It has many families with small children and many people with disabilities, including children. It also has restaurants, businesses and venues, all of which are impacted when these outages happen. I ask the Minister of State to give us an update and I want to know if there is any way that works can be fast-tracked. I understand that there are statutory procedures for all of this but what are the pinch points and is there any way the works can be fast-tracked or sped up? What options are being explored in that regard?

At this rate it looks like there could be 30 more outages before these works are completed, based on past performance. We hope this work can be fast-tracked but we need to prepare for that scenario. If that is the case, there needs to be an improvement in communications. The nature of the communications is not comprehensive, detailed or responsive enough. It needs to happen in real-time, it needs to be immediate and it needs to be more than a tweet or an email to local county councillors.

I had to argue to be included on those notices. In addition to that, there needs to be contingency. This is a recognised problem. Can we get tankers on site? Can we have rapid response and bespoke solutions for a list of vulnerable customers who would be contacted and supported? That is the type of response we need.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and allowing me the opportunity to outline the position in relation to Irish Water's responsibility on this matter. The Water Services Acts 2007-2017 set out the arrangements in place for the delivery of water and waste water services by Irish Water, and for the scrutiny and oversight provisions that apply in respect of these arrangements. As the Deputy will understand, the provision of facilities in Meath is a matter for Irish Water in the first instance. Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Irish Water takes a strategic nationwide approach to asset planning and investment, and to meeting customer requirements. The prioritisation and progression of individual projects and programmes is a matter for determination by Irish Water.

My Department has made inquiries with Irish Water on the issue mentioned by the Deputy, and I am informed as follows. Irish Water is progressing plans to increase the storage capacity at Windmill Hill reservoir and replace the existing water main between the reservoir and Ratoath, improving security of supply for residents and businesses in Ratoath and Ashbourne. Irish Water, working in partnership with Meath County Council, is replacing more than 7 km of problematic, old water mains in Ratoath that were prone to frequent bursts and caused water supply disruptions for customers in Ratoath and Ashbourne. The old water mains are being replaced by high density polyethylene plastic pipes which will address low water pressure, particularly in Ratoath, which is encountered during periods of peak demand, and will enable long-term growth in Ratoath and Ashbourne

Irish Water plans to construct an additional storage reservoir at Windmill Hill. This additional infrastructure will mitigate the impact of bursts in the existing water main that supplies Windmill Hill reservoir from Staleen water treatment plant, which is located between Donore and Duleek. Irish Water also proposes to improve the energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of the reservoir by installing 212 solar panels to generate clean, renewable electricity. This investment will benefit the local community by improving the performance of the plant and making it more resilient in the event of power outages.

I understand Irish Water has submitted a planning application to Meath County Council for the proposed reservoir and is progressing the procurement process for the construction of the new reservoir and water main. The Government is aware that significant and sustained investment is needed to ensure the continued operation, upgrade and repair of the country’s water and waste water infrastructure and to support economic growth in the years to come. In this regard, as part of budget 2022, my Department has secured funding of over €1.5 billion to support water services nationally, including €1.459 billion in respect of domestic services provision by Irish Water. This overall investment will deliver significant improvements to our public water and waste water services, support improved water supplies right across Ireland, including rural Ireland, and support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in our rivers, lakes and marine area.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I will leave the following with the Minister of State. He did not come back to me on the opportunity, if any, to speed these things up and move more quickly. To bring that Q4 of 2024 back to mid 2024 or late 2023 would make a significant difference. I made points on the contingency, the response, the supports for vulnerable customers and users and the quality of the communications.

I will situate the frustration for residents of Ratoath in the context of it being an area identified for significant residential development. There is an strategic housing development, SHD, application in for 452 units that is being considered. There is a local information housing activation fund, LIHAF, strip. I will leave that with the Minister of State as well. Significant taxpayers' money was put into a LIHAF road that the units have not been developed on. The road is not open in Ratoath but there is planning there for in excess of 300 units. That is a significant development and there is deep concern. We want to see units developed and we are in the middle of the housing crisis, but there is concern that our infrastructure is not fit at the minute and we face the prospect of units on top of an already creaking infrastructure. It is a sequencing matter and lends to the argument for prioritisation and that the works be expedited for delivery of that water infrastructure to facilitate the residential developments in a timely fashion, so that residents are not added to the list of people frustrated to be left without water.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy again for raising this important issue and outlining the significant growth that has taken place in Ratoath. I will follow up with Irish Water on the contingency issue, which can be frustrating for citizens and residents when there is an outage, in terms of the mitigation measures put in place for that period, as well as in terms of communications. It is active on social media but not everyone is on social media and, especially in rural areas, it can be difficult for citizens to have that access. I will raise that with Irish Water.

On fast-tracking projects, we are bound by statutory processes when it comes to planning permission. One is unaware whether there will be objections, etc., as it goes through the finalisation process. Procurement is a significant process nowadays, as well as the fact that when the preferred tenderer is awarded, there has to be a cooling period and it may be challenged. It can be difficult for a Minister to give a commitment to bring projects forward because so many items are out of our control, unfortunately. I will raise the issues with Irish Water.

One of the biggest challenges in this country is our waste water infrastructure. As I travel around the country, I encounter towns and villages that have problems delivering the potential development because the infrastructure is not up to speed. A key factor is that every year as we approach the budget, we are competing for Irish Water with the Departments with responsibility for health, children and transport. All those key issues are now competing and that is difficult for Irish Water. We will do our best and have secured a significant budget, as well as €6 billion in the capital investment programme from 2021 to 2025.