Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for attending. I trust that he will pass on the comments I will make on Dunmanway. The situation with the wastewater treatment in the town is nothing short of a scandal. Dunmanway is one the biggest towns in my constituency of Cork South-West. Within the past ten years, a brand-new wastewater treatment plant has been built there. The plant was built with capacity for 3,500 people, but the population of Dunmanway is 2,200. The Minister of State will, therefore, ask: what is the issue? He will say that there is loads of capacity and he will tell us to drive on.

The issue is that Cork County Council is refusing to grant planning permission to one more single unit in Dunmanway and, therefore, no houses can be built. No estates can be built, and we are in the middle of a housing crisis. No industry or commerce can develop because the council will not grant planning permission. The issue is with the outflow pipe from this brand-new wastewater treatment plant, which goes into the River Bandon's special area of conservation, SAC, and does not comply with the conditions the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, has set out. We are therefore in a situation where this town, like other towns throughout Ireland, is looking to expand, grow and drive commerce and industry but it is being hampered by this.

My ask is very simple on behalf of the people of the Dunmanway and the surrounding area, as well as the businesses in Dunmanway. We need to get the wastewater treatment plant in the town upgraded straightaway. There have been talks about different solutions, such as moving the outflow pipe to a different area. None of that would suffice in this instance. It is my understanding that an upgrade could happen but it would cost hundreds of thousands of euro. There is a cost involved but it is imperative that this happens. This is one of the most important towns in west Cork. It is one of the most important regions. It is right at the heart of west Cork. The town cannot grow because of this craziness.

Uisce Éireann needs to put this in this year's capital plan. I do not care about where it gets the money from or where it finds the funding. I do not care about where the Minister will get the funding from, but it needs to happen, and it needs to happen straightaway.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister would like to thank the Deputy for raising this issue and for allowing me to have the opportunity to outline the position regarding the water treatment issues in Dunmanway on his behalf.

As the Deputy will understand, the supply of public water and the provision of water services in general are matters for Uisce Éireann in the first instance. However, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has made enquiries with Uisce Éireann on the issues that have been mentioned. I am informed that Uisce Éireann is currently assessing the capital needs for the Dunmanway wastewater treatment plant and any impact that discharges may have. To ensure critical national needs are addressed, a set of investment priorities is applied, including priority being given to discharges with the greatest potential impact. The site will be considered for inclusion in the next investment cycle from 2025 to 2029.

Uisce Éireann, as a single publicly owned national water services authority, takes a strategic, nationwide approach to asset planning and investment and meeting consumer requirements.

Under Part 5 of the Water Services Act of 2013, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, is the economic regulator of Uisce Éireann and is responsible for setting the total level of revenue that Uisce Éireann can receive over a defined revenue control period. The current revenue control period, RC3, runs from 2020 to 2024. As part of the revenue control process, the CRU reviewed Uisce Éireann's capital investment plan and the approved strategic funding plan. The capital investment plan set out a clearly defined set of priorities to deliver improvements to water and wastewater services throughout Ireland where they are needed most urgently to meet our EU drinking water and wastewater obligations while supporting balanced urban and rural development.

The programme for Government commits to funding Uisce Éireann's capital investment plan for water and wastewater infrastructure on a multi-annual basis. The National Development Plan 2021 to 2030 commits almost €6 billion investment to be undertaken by Uisce Éireann in the period 2021 to 2025, of which more than €4.5 billion will be voted Exchequer funding in respect of domestic water services. The next revenue control period, RC4, will run from 2025 to 2029. As part of the process, Uisce Éireann would submit a multi-annual strategic funding plan to the Minister and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The strategic funding plan will specify the arrangements Uisce Éireann proposes to make and measures it proposes to take to meet the policy objectives of the water services policy statement and incorporating its estimated funding requirements for capital investment for the period. The strategic funding plan will be considered in the context of the ongoing update of the national development plan. The multi-annual funding is key to addressing Ireland's shortcomings in water and wastewater infrastructure and will deliver significant improvements in our public water and wastewater services, support improved water supplies right across urban and rural Ireland, and support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in our rivers, lakes and marine areas.

I understand that the wastewater treatment system in Dunmanway is impacted by spills on the storm water overflows and there are hydraulic constraints within the existing collection network. I have been informed that Uisce Éireann is aware of the situation and is working towards solutions.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate that he is only the messenger in this case and we will not shoot the messenger but that response is absolutely not good enough. It is not acceptable that people will have to wait for the 2025 to 2029 funding cycle, and I will not accept it. I cannot go back to the people of Dunmanway and tell them they have to wait that long. The process of upgrading the Dunmanway wastewater treatment system so that houses can once again be built has to start straight away. It has to start this year in 2024 with the design, the tendering process and the appointment of the contractor. It has to go through all of that and must start straightaway. As I said, I do not care where the money is found. There is a massive capital plan in place with a budget of billions. The funding has to be found from somewhere. The response is not good enough and I will be raising this issue again.

Uisce Éireann has much to answer for throughout west Cork. I was at a public meeting in Kinsale yesterday. Residents of Abbey Fort and Kinsale Manor estate have had to put up with six water breaks since November. We must bear in mind that the community hospital is at the end of that water line. Uisce Éireann has indicated it has no authority and it will upgrade the system but I want to know what will happen in the interim. Uisce Éireann must have an interim plan should breaks arise and must supply tankers of water. I appreciate that this issue was not raised in the Topical Issue matter but I have to raise it. It is an example of what is happening across the board.

Furthermore, I am informed there will be no more planning granted on the Beara Peninsula, again because of water supply issues. There is an urgent need to upgrade the water supply scheme on the Beara Peninsula so we can see houses being built again. One of the most scandalous of them is Shannonvale village near my home town of Clonakilty. It has a children's playground with raw sewage coming up through the surface. It has been closed for years and Uisce Éireann has failed to install an adequate wastewater treatment plant there. The issues are right across the board. Uisce Éireann needs to be held to account.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this matter. The Deputy will understand that the progression of wastewater infrastructure at local level is a matter for Uisce Éireann. As I previously stated, however, Uisce Éireann is aware of the difficulty with wastewater treatment in Dunmanway and is currently reviewing the situation with the intention of providing a solution. This review is in the very early stages and Uisce Éireann is looking at a number of options for the current wastewater network. The upgrade to the wastewater network is expected to reduce the frequency and impact of spills for the storm water overflows, address existing hydraulic constraints within the existing collection network and provide adequate wastewater collection infrastructure for the existing and planned development of Dunmanway. This upgrade, if it is to occur, will most likely be part of the next round of investment under the revenue control period RC4 which starts next year and will run for a five-year cycle.