Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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8. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps his Department is taking to deliver the extra funding identified by local authorities, his Department and Uisce Éireann, as being necessary to deliver the measure 8 rural water programme; when that funding might be forthcoming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35594/25]

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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30. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the pilot scheme announced by his Department to provide for sewage in unsewered villages in 2024 requires additional funding; if he has made this funding available; if he will provide an update on all schemes that have received initial approval; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35545/25]

Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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The lack of wastewater treatment is highlighted as one of the biggest blockages in the delivery of Government housing targets. In 2022, the Minister announced €50 million under the rural water programme to deliver treatment systems in towns and villages that are not serviced. Three years on, none of these projects have begun. Will the Minister distribute these funds to any local authority that has sites ready to move to design and delivery and which has committed in writing to match funding for the projects. Will he ensure that any shortfall in the overall funding from the scheme will be forthcoming from the Department in future?

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 30 together.

I thank Deputy Cooney for raising this issue. Clearly the need for investment in infrastructure, particularly wastewater services in our towns and villages, is a priority and a recurring theme that we hear. It is a priority of the Minister, Deputy Browne, of the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and of mine, in terms of delivering housing in this regard.

The Government is committed to continued and ongoing sustained and strategic investment in rural water services across Ireland. As part of this commitment, the Department is investing in rural water infrastructure to deliver improvements to water services in areas of rural Ireland where Uisce Éireann services are not available. More than €243 million is provided under the National Development Plan 2021-2030, covering the period 2021 to 2025, for investment in non-Uisce Éireann water infrastructure. Included in this is €50 million specifically for demonstration projects to address the requirements of villages without public wastewater infrastructure.

In April 2022, under the Department's multi-annual rural water programme, a dedicated funding programme, measure A8, was announced for the wastewater collection and treatment needs of villages without access to public wastewater services. The strategic objectives of the measure are providing opportunities for rural housing development, addressing risk to public health, and preventing water pollution. The measure was designed to support an initial portfolio of demonstration projects that could inform a longer term strategic approach to the issue of wastewater infrastructure in small villages not served by Uisce Éireann.

In December 2023, approval in principle of €45 million of funding was given to a number of projects under the programme. I believe this is the programme to which Deputy Cooney is referring. The local authorities are responsible for the delivery of the projects. However, they are required to work in consultation with Uisce Éireann, reflecting the fact that the infrastructure being built will ultimately be owned and operated by Uisce Éireann.

Since the funding announcement, the local authorities and Uisce Éireann have jointly undertaken and completed a reassessment of the projects to confirm the most efficient construction options and to provide certainty to the local authorities on the funding contribution required from them for each project. The local authorities concerned have been asked to ensure that all necessary arrangements are in place, and responses in this regard have been recently received by the Department. These responses will be considered over the coming weeks and decisions will be made in due course.

As I have said, responses have been received from each local authority and there are seven projects under consideration. They have been reassessed in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. The responses have all been received and, as I have said, the Department will be assessing them and a response will be issued in due course. I hope we can get movement on these very important infrastructural projects as soon as possible.

Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I understand from speaking to colleagues from other counties involved in this scheme that some are much further along in the process than others. I know that Clare County Council can progress if the Department confirms funding for the two projects in Broadford and Cooraclare. These two settlements have demonstrated significant commitment to the proposal of public treatment systems. I asked Clare County Council whether it had confirmed in writing to the Department that the matched funding requirement is available and it has done so. It would appear that some local authorities, and the towns and villages they propose, are being held up because other counties may not have been able to proceed for whatever reason. It is not acceptable in the middle of housing crisis that a scheme with public moneys allocated for more than three years for vital public infrastructure is being managed in this way.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is absolutely right that there are two projects in Clare and it is very important that these projects in Broadford and Cooraclare are being considered. I was in Clare the other day and I have to commend the proactive nature of the local authority. It is important that it got these two schemes in for consideration for the €45 million funding. As I have said, there has been back and forth communication between the Department and local authorities, for example, Clare County Council, and responses have been received. They will be assessed. I will certainly be making it a priority that we get an answer on how we proceed and fund these, and how quickly we can get the solutions built in these very important villages and towns.

Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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In Minister of State's own words, the housing crisis is an emergency. The lack of a treatment system in towns and villages is one of the causes of this emergency, yet the money to develop such systems in towns and villages that are not serviced has been sitting in the Department's bank account for the past three years. The county council is clearly committed to delivering this scheme in two towns in Clare. They could be a demonstration for others, as once one county gets under way, others will follow. This is my belief. The alternative is to backtrack on the commitment given by the Minister of State's predecessor, destroy any hope the communities in Broadford and Cooraclare have of a treatment system, and accept that rural towns and villages do not matter and cannot contribute to a solution to the housing crisis. This would be outrageous. Will the Minister of State begin the distribution of the funds from this scheme to local authorities such as Clare County Council, which are committed to delivering this scheme? It is vital infrastructure for those villages that do not have it.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I reassure the Deputy that there is absolutely no backtracking on the commitment to provide solutions for these rural villages. As I have said, the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, recently brought forward the national planning framework, which gives a clear commitment on regional growth and regional development and allowing people to live in rural parts of Ireland. As I have said, the national development plan will inform funding for Uisce Éireann going forward. There has been a significant increase in funding for Uisce Éireann in recent years and, as I have also said, we have to start seeing results from this.

In recent months the Minister, Deputy Browne, announced the establishment of the housing activation office. A key goal of the housing activation office is to unlock as much land for development as possible. This includes some of the urban areas in more regional parts of Ireland. This will remove impediments, whatever they may be, such as infrastructure or wastewater infrastructure. This move will accelerate development for many of our rural towns and villages.