Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 88: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on reports (details supplied) that major housing developments in the Greater Dublin area could face delays of several years due to inadequate water supplies; and if he will comment on the issue. [22574/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Responsibility for the provision of water supplies to service existing requirements and new development needs rests with the local authorities. Local authorities are required to undertake regular assessments of their water services capital requirements and to inform my Department of the resulting priorities. My Department funds those schemes that are approved under the Water Services Investment Programme on the basis of infrastructural priorities identified by individual authorities.

In the case of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, I have included all such identified requirements in the Water Services Investment Programme 2005 — 2007 published late last year and available in the Oireachtas Library. The schemes in the Programme are being advanced as quickly as possible. With regard to proposed housing development in the area referred to, I understand that, in advance of any significant planning applications being considered, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is currently preparing a Local Area Plan that will be subject to public consultation and, in due course, adoption by the elected Council.

All local authorities have again recently been asked by my Department to produce new assessments of needs and to submit the results to the Department by 31 July 2006. This will afford Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council an opportunity to identify any additional infrastructural needs in its area as an input to future phases of the Water Services Investment Programme.

As far as the Greater Dublin Area (including Meath, Kildare and Wicklow) is concerned, a range of schemes to increase water supply capacity is being advanced under the Water Services Investment Programme 2005 — 2007. These include Kildare Wellfield Development, Leixlip Water Treatment Plant Extension, Navan Water Supply Scheme, Wicklow Town Water Supply Scheme and the expansion of the Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant. The Ballymore Eustace scheme will increase capacity by a further 44 million litres per day. A recently completed interim upgrade to the plant has already secured a 22 million litres per day increase.

A further allocation of €118.3m has been provided under the 2005 to 2007 Programme for the rehabilitation of defective and unserviceable water mains in the Dublin region as part of a national water conservation sub-programme. I understand that Dublin City Council, acting as lead authority, has appointed consultants to produce contract documents and to oversee the implementation of the relevant works in the region. In addition, the Programme also includes funding to support the identification of new water sources to meet projected demand in the Greater Dublin Area up to 2031.

I am satisfied that these projects will ensure adequate water supplies to deal with current and future development requirements in the region.