Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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1056. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government with regard to ongoing discussions between his Department and Irish Water on the taking over of private estates that involve private water or waste water pumping or treatment facilities, the number of estates which have been identified for takeover in the context of these discussions; if he will give a tabular breakdown of the number in each local authority area; if he will further provide a tabular breakdown with regard to these estates including those with private water sources, waste water pumping stations and treatment plant; the estimated cost involved for Irish Water in taking over these estates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41989/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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My Department , as part of a wider overhaul of the taking in charge process, is seeking to determine the number of residential developments with developer provided stand-alone wastewater treatment plants and/or water treatment systems that are not connected to public water and waste water networks. Many of the developments in question have not yet been taken in charge by the relevant local authority because they are unfinished. In some cases the developments may be completed but not to the standards required under the planning permissions granted. My Department has concluded that a pilot project focussing on the situation in a number of local authority areas would contribute greatly to the establishment of a clear overview of the nature of the problems which exist in the developments in question, and the identification of possible solutions and associated costs required to alleviate those problems.

The information garnered from the pilot project, which will commence shortly, will subsequently be used by my Department to inform the development of a co-ordinated approach to the taking-in charge by local authorities of developments with developer provided water services infrastructure and, where appropriate, the transfer of such infrastructure to Irish Water.