John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)

I thank Senator Goldsboro for raising this issue. I have to advise that the Water Services Acts 2007 to 2020 sets out the arrangements in place for the delivery of water and wastewater services by Uisce Éireann. These services are matters for Uisce Éireann which has a statutory responsibility for all aspects of water service planning, delivery and operation at a national, regional and local level. The scope, prioritisation and progression of individual projects are matters for Uisce Éireann and approved through its own board and internal governance structures under section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013. Neither I, nor my Department, have operational function in such matters.

That being said, I have engaged with Uisce Éireann in recent weeks on the very topic the Senator has raised, along with other items. We had an upfront and honest conversation about what I could do to assist the organisation in streamlining the consenting process for projects. I also made it very clear that I expect it to deliver pre-connection and connection agreements within agreed timeframes, which, regrettably, have not been happening at a sufficiently high rate to date.

I am advised that the 16 weeks the Senator referenced is an indicative timeframe for connection applications, with more straightforward applications taking a shorter period. Uisce Éireann notes that larger and more complicated developments or developments in areas of already limited capacity require additional time and resources to be deployed.Uisce Éireann actively encourages submissions to be made as early as possible in the process to allow for full assessments to be completed because technical challenges may arise that may impact timelines. For example, detailed hydraulic modelling and additional technical assessments may be required in areas where water services and networks or treatment capacity are constrained. Where additional information or clarification is required with respect to land ownership, access or third party constraints associated with a particular site or developer, connection offers may be reliant on a number of customers entering connection agreements with Uisce Éireann at the same time. This can sometimes lead to delays while engagement with multiple parties is ongoing.

I do not know if any of those are particularly relevant to the Senator's individual case of 44 units that she referred to in Cahir, but I am informed that the case she is referring to was submitted in early February. It is currently under review by Uisce Éireann's design team to understand the available capacity in the system to facilitate the development and any additional works that may be necessary. An update will be given to the developer in the coming weeks.