Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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173. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the annual capital investment spent on wastewater treatment from 2000 to 2021 in tabular form; and the figure for the portion of this investment each year targeted at those agglomerations listed by the European Commission in its urban wastewater directive infringement proceedings from 2013, including the 38 currently with the ECJ. [24918/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The annual capital investment by my Department on waste water infrastructure from 2000 to 2013 is outlined in the following table. This represents the expenditure by the Department on the provision of waste water infrastructure through the Water Services Investment Programme. In line with policy for cost recovery for the provision of water services for non-domestic users, the relevant water authorities would have provided capital investment to meet the proportion of the costs related to those users. In general this would have been 20%-25% of total costs depending on the ratio of domestic to non-domestic demand driving the need for investment.

In addition, local authorities spent in the region of  €4m to €10m per annum on smaller sewerage schemes, but these were largely for reasons of economic development.

The information requested with regard to the levels of capital investment each year in relevant agglomerations is not readily available. However, the data will be examined further and my Department will follow up with the Deputy if it is possible to provide relevant information.

Since January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for the delivery of public water and waste water services. Capital investment in waste water treatment infrastructure for the period 2014-2016 has been approved by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) and the figures below for those years have been provided by Irish Water.  The figures provided do not include significant metering, suppressed maintenance and reactive maintenance costs. The figures are also exclusive of non-network costs which include establishment, IT and facilities costs.

The following table provides projected waste water capital expenditure as set out in the Irish Water Capital Investment Plan for the period 2017-2021. Again these figures are exclusive of non-network costs and they do not account for efficiency challenges to be set by CER.

With regard to the level of investment required to achieve compliance in the 38 agglomerations cited, I am informed by Irish Water that the total projected capital investment in waste water infrastructure at these 38 agglomerations, for the period 2014 until full compliance is achieved, is now estimated to be in the region of €1.1 billion. However, this remains subject to change as projects are fully designed, tendered and delivered – and as issues with regard to sewer networks are better understood.

With regard to the information requested on agglomeration specific projected costs for the period 2014-2021, I understand that Irish Water are preparing material for the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and that this information will include agglomeration specific projected costs.