Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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11. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the progress being made on plans for additional funding to Uisce Éireann to progress large-scale infrastructure projects following the review of the national development plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40118/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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We all know the issues that are impacted by Uisce Éireann. It says that delivering infrastructure can take more money. In my own constituency, even in the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, report, we have question marks in relation to everything from Cabinhill to Greenmount and Tallanstown. We need to see movement on all of this.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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In line with the commitment in the programme for Government, my Department has prioritised an early review of the national development plan, which will be published in July. The aim of the review is to improve our infrastructure, particularly water, energy and transport. Prioritisation of these sectors is necessary to deliver hundreds of thousands of additional homes and to boost our competitiveness.

The review document to be published in July will feature annual capital allocations to Departments over the five years to 2030 and overall capital expenditure ceilings for the ten years to 2035. This will be followed by sectoral publications later this year detailing the particular programmes that will be funded from the NDP. While particular allocations are yet to be agreed, investment in water infrastructure is a key priority for the review.

As part of the process, Departments have also been asked to consider whether their planned programmes meet the criteria for designated environmental projects to receive funding from the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund. Some €3.15 billion is available from the fund for 2026 to 2030 and is part of the total NDP funding available. In addition, a climate assessment is also being carried out on projects receiving funding as part of the NDP and this will be published alongside the review document in July.

Regarding sustainable management of water services specifically, I would remind the Deputy that, since 1 January 2014, Uisce Éireann has had responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels, according to the 2013 Act. Uisce Éireann co-ordinates that with the Minister for housing. However, we recognise the funding issue, which has existed and has been publicly articulated this year in particular. Water infrastructure will be a central part of the national development plan, which we will set out next week.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I suppose we need to see that review as soon as possible. Has the Minister any information in relation to what he reckons that timeline will be for the sectoral allocations?

Some of what I am talking about, particularly in the case of Dundalk, falls into the bracket of projects that have been timelined. The three projects I mentioned - Cabinhill, Tallanstown and Greenmount - have had planning, plans and dates, yet their timelines have unfortunately all been put back. In the recent EPA report, we are told there are question marks in relation to the robustness and resilience of the water supply, but also its quality. There are other issues I have raised even in the past while. We had issues in Ardee and Smarmore over the weekend and a particular issue that keeps happening in relation to Hackballscross and the water supply being picked out. In my supplementary question, I will deal with wastewater and whatever else.

There is a wider issue here. When we talk about housing, we know that planning permissions and so on are impacted by a clean water supply and our ability to deal with wastewater, and none of it is up to scratch at present.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Water and wastewater infrastructure is critical to deliver the homes that we need and to deal with the broader infrastructure deficit that exists relating to water infrastructure more generally. What we are doing as part of that is prioritising it.

The Exchequer funding of what is now Uisce Éireann significantly increased in recent years but we recognise that, to meet the level of ambition we have in housing supply in the economy, but also to address some of the deficits in regions, there needs to be a much greater level of funding given to Uisce Éireann. We are finalising that presently. What will happen in the aftermath of that is Uisce Éireann will be able to update its respective plans and delivery timelines relating to different projects. The metric will be delivery when funding has been provided over the next number of years so that Uisce Éireann is really enabled, from a funding perspective, to drive the delivery of this infrastructure. The engagement that we all will be having will be on delivery, when we have met the funding need that is required.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I hope the interaction that we have is in relation to delivery. Some of the projects I spoke about earlier have been timelined. It is a matter of ensuring that those timelines are at least met. They are timelines that have been set further back than we would have anticipated or wanted. There are particular issues.

I welcome the Minister's statement that there is need for a greater level of funding. We are not in the place we would like to be as regards infrastructure. Looking to the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, the wastewater system where I live is not up to scratch and could lead to flooding. Never mind getting catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM. We have a huge amount of people who are impacted even when we have heavy rains. If we do not have capacity delivered at the south end of Dundalk, we could be looking at flooding no matter what we do as regard the CRFAM works.

As has been brought up with the Minister, Deputy Browne, by members of Deputy Chambers' own party, there is a particular issue in the sense that many planning permissions now are looking to put in interim water treatment schemes on the basis that Uisce Éireann does not have the capacity to deal with wastewater. I am talking about the likes of Haggardstown. It is obviously causing issues in relation to a number of residents and constituents.

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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It is a matter of delivering in all this. We are not where we need to be and we need to get there.

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I have two supplementary questions, 30 seconds each. I will let Deputy Farrell in first and then come to Deputy Colm Burke.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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When we are talking about investment within Uisce Éireann and we know investment is desperately needed in terms of delivery of housing and so on across the State, we also need to look at the investment we are making in water infrastructure on the offshore islands. On Inis Oirr, for example, there are night-time restrictions every summer. We need to have a plan and we need to invest in the offshore islands when it comes to water. We have previously had, as the Minister will remember, issues with water on Inisbofin as well. We need to have a plan. I accept that these types of plan will not be-----

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Thirty seconds.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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Apologies. I did not realise.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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The Minister spoke of funding for Irish Water.

More than 500 treatment plants throughout the country were built between 2002 and 2008. Many of the developers who built them have gone into liquidation or receivership. In one case in Whitechurch in Cork, raw sewage is flying out of the treatment plant into the stream. I have taken samples from it. I have been writing to Cork County Council, Uisce Éireann at the EPA for seven months. I was out there ten days ago and took samples from the stream that are totally contaminated. There are 500 of these plants around the country and we have no timeframe for when Uisce Éireann will take them over.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I echo what others have said here. In Ennis and Clarecastle in County Clare, even though the sewage treatment system is modern and new, it is already close to capacity. If we want to reach these housing targets, the first thing that needs to be done is to upgrade all of that network underground. The public will not see it and we might not get great praise or thanks for it, but it is crucial and is the key enabler. I call on Uisce Éireann to look at the situation in Ennis and Clarecastle. It is unforgivable that a few years after that system was designed and built, it is already near capacity.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Farrell for raising the issue of offshore islands, Deputy Burke for raising the issue of wastewater treatment plants during the noughties and Deputy Crowe for raising the issue of underlying infrastructure. My first role as part of this is to ensure that commercial State bodies, like Uisce Éireann, are appropriately funded over the medium term. That is something we will address as part of the national development plan to be outlined next week. The second part of my responsibilities is to ensure that when a project is being progressed and has been decided upon, the life cycle of the project can happen much quicker than at present and we can deliver a project from concept to delivery in a much quicker way within our economy because the timelines at present are too slow.

Regarding specific operational issues Uisce Éireann has with the offshore islands, the wastewater treatment plants and the underlying infrastructure that all the Deputies referenced, the Minister for housing and Uisce Éireann will be able to respond on those specific details. However, there will be a significant uplift in funding for water infrastructure in the State when we outline the national development plan.