Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Garvey for raising this important issue in Lahinch and more broadly around the country. I will cut to the chase with the Senator. The Department has told me the new treatment plant for Lahinch is currently at feasibility stage, it expects to be at planning permission stage in 2024 and ready for construction in 2025. It is a €20 million to €50 million project. In the meantime, Uisce Éireann is working with the local authority and others to minimise impacts. That is the plan. The Senator is quite right; 2029 is too late. I am very pleased to be able to say that it will be delivered sooner than that. I know the Senator will keep on top of this to make sure that no part of this is missed.

The Senator is absolutely right about addressing the impact of climate change. Much heavier falls of water has an impact. I see it my constituency in Dublin Bay. As the Senator has said, local groups can be very active and helpful in drawing awareness to these different issues. In my area, we campaigned to have a UV treatment facility installed in the water in the plant in Ringsend. Over the winter, that was tested to see how much of a difference it would make. It seems that while it helps during the summer, testing over the winter found it did not have that much impact. The real issue is the River Liffey and Elm Park stream going into the bay. It was about very heavy rainfall, which the Senator mentioned, and how much the storm overflow can impact rivers. It can be the storm overflow facilities, as well as other things that are within people's control, including dog fouling on the beach. Communities can do a range of different things to try to help.

Nevertheless, Uisce Éireann has overall statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services' planning and development. The programme for Government commits to a capital investment plan for the whole country.It is probably worth setting out that beyond Dublin Bay and Lahinch today. The national development plan up to 2030 commits to almost €6 billion of 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. In budget 2023, it was announced that more than €1.78 billion had been allocated to support all water services. The overall investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and wastewater services.

The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, holds Uisce Éireann to account for its environmental performance. Since 2014, the EPA has reported up to 50 towns and villages with untreated sewage being discharged from a public sewer system. That is clearly not acceptable. That is why Uisce Éireann is focusing on resolving the legacy. Since 2014, 60% by volume of the raw sewage discharging has been resolved through targeted investment in new sewerage infrastructure. I believe Uisce Éireann is on track to eliminate the majority of raw sewage discharges by the end of 2025. The size and scale of that work is very significant with an estimated €750 million investment.

By way of update for the Seanad, Uisce Éireann has completed works to provide treatment plants at 23 locations now. In addition, construction is under way at 16 other locations across the country with a number due to finish in the coming months. Works will start at one more location before the end of this year. By the end of 2023, construction works will either be complete or under way at 40 of the 50 locations identified by the EPA. Uisce Éireann is progressing projects in the remaining ten locations and will be lodging planning applications for some of those in the coming months. Serious challenges will remain until this is resolved. Uisce Éireann is also trying to make sure that new capacity is made available for housing and the increased population and pressure that will put in place. Uisce Éireann has a plan to complete all the works at all of the plants by 2030. I am glad to have been able to provide an update specifically with regard to Lahinch.