Teresa Costello (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for giving us an opportunity to speak on this. I will go back to my time as a local councillor on South Dublin County Council, when I raised an awful lot of issues regarding water. I had family members who worked in the water section and knew the water system like the back of their hands. They were passionate. I knew a lot of the staff who historically worked in the water section of the council. When I was a councillor raising those issues, I found the response time to be efficient, quick and comprehensive. I did notice, however, after responsibility was moved from South Dublin County Council to Uisce Éireann, a deterioration in the response times and in the quality of responses I received.

Last week I reported an urgent query regarding a flood in my constituency and provided all the necessary information: full details, location and photographs. It took 48 hours for me to receive a response, and that response was requesting an eircode and clarification on whether the issue was related to water or wastewater. That is not a functioning system. If an elected representative cannot get a timely, basic response during an emergency, members of the public have no chance.

I recognise the significant progress being made under the revised national development plan. There is record investment of €12.2 billion in the water sector and 95% allocated to Uisce Éireann. This is upgrading the water and wastewater infrastructure nationwide, tackling long-standing deficits, enabling population growth and supporting housing delivery. Investment in rural water services is also being ramped up. A total of €306 million has been allocated to water quality improvements, and targeted projects such as the farming for water EIP, nature-based solutions in urban areas and the national barrier mitigation programme are already delivering tangible environmental benefits. Capital delivery capacity has risen from €300 million in 2014 to €1.3 billion today.More than €10.2 billion in further capital works is committed to under the strategic funding plan to 2029. These are real achievements that deserve acknowledgement.

Investment must be matched by operational performance, however. In that context, I refer to the long delays in connection agreements for water and wastewater, particularly for smaller housing projects. Local builders, community developers and voluntary organisations are experiencing extended waiting periods. These are holding back delivery of badly needed homes. The programme for Government commits to statutory timelines and improved pre-connection processes. Developers cannot be stuck in limbo for months. Is there a plan to shorten these timelines and give applicants certainty?

I will also highlight capacity issues in south Dublin. For example, the Dodder Valley sewers regularly overflow in bad weather. They are extremely old and have been in place for many years. Constituents report manhole surcharging and foul water escaping during heavy rain. This is completely unacceptable in a growing area of the county. These problems point to networks under significant strain. Will the Minister of State clarify what upgrades are planned, the expected timelines and how Uisce Éireann will ensure that south Dublin's wastewater system is resilient enough to cope with growth and with more frequent extreme weather conditions?

The State is making an unprecedented investment in water and wastewater services. The ambition is there, but front-line engagement, responsiveness and local network performance must keep pace. The constituency in which I live and every constituency around the country needs a system that works, communicates effectively and delivers the capacity required for new homes and for environmental protection.