Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, is very welcome.

Imelda Goldsboro (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for joining us. This is an issue in Tipperary South and we all know that we are currently in a housing shortage nationwide. It is something that is of the utmost importance. Unfortunately, however, we seem to have a number of challenges that are hindering the progress of housing, such as the reason for this Commencement matter.

In Tipperary South, there is a housing developer who has a planning application in for 44 new homes. Forty four new homes in Cahir would substantially reduce the number of people on the housing list. It would be a good news story, positive and welcome. One of the planning conditions is that he has to have a water connection. After doing the necessary paperwork, carrying out the relevant procedures, and adhering to all the guidelines, rules and regulations, Irish Water has told him he will have to wait 16 weeks. We are right in the peak of good weather and it is very suitable for building, but having to wait four months is going to cause a number of delays. It is going to have a significant negative impact on him, his other developments and his staff.

I ask that we have a look with Uisce Éireann to see what way it can streamline its process, especially for developments, and how it plans to change the existing structures to be more productive and beneficial for developers and for those who are in rural one-off houses. We are trying to get into an area where we have housing growth and development, and we have a number of challenges and factors. I know there are also issues with the ESB, finance and planning and we are trying to get those issues addressed, but Uisce Éireann is the one which is of great concern. I appreciate the Minister of State's reply.

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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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.

Imelda Goldsboro (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. It is great to hear he has had talks with Uisce Éireann in recent weeks. I understand, like any agency, that it has its own challenges and it has a number of concerns. To make progress, however, we have to make changes. Uisce Éireann has to listen to the developers, councils, Ministers and Government about what is going on. If it is not going to listen, we will not be able to change, adapt or amend these issues and concerns people have. I know our councils have a number of land banks. We are looking for developers and for affordable and social housing. We have developers, and to have this hindering progress is not good enough. I appreciate the Minister of State taking the time to look into this individual case.

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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It is important to say that Uisce Éireann has invested in resources and people to tackle this issue, which was cited in the meeting I had with it. I know it is determined to keep pace with the industry demand, which is in line with our own expectations, to facilitate infrastructure and housing delivery. A number of initiatives have been introduced by Uisce Éireann in recent years, including capacity registers for water and wastewater. We also have the first mover scheme so we do not penalise developers who move on a land bank first and to be able to facilitate sequential development. We also have the self-lay accreditation scheme that allows developers to use accredited contractors to do the works themselves on site. There have been a number of initiatives to try to improve the situation. I accept that pre-connection and connection agreements have to be issued to developers in a timely fashion. The organisation has assured me it is investing the resources to ensure that happens. I will continue to engage with it to ensure those timelines to issue those pre-connection and connection agreements are reduced, as well as assisting it with its asks about the consenting process. By working together, we can achieve progress in this area.