Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1951. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the annual capital investment spend on domestic water and sanitation services in each of the years 2000 to 2021, in tabular form. [36809/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The total annual capital investment by my Department on water services from 2000 to 2013 is outlined in the following table.  This represents the expenditure by the Department on the provision of water and waste water infrastructure through the Water Services Investment Programme (WSIP) and the Rural Water Programme (RWP).  The Department only funded the component of infrastructure relating to the domestic sector in these years, with the local authorities or group water schemes as appropriate meeting the costs of the non-domestic sector on a cost recovery basis.  In the case of local authority schemes, this was calculated on a project by project basis but on average would have been 20%-25% of total costs.  In some years, a small proportion of the funding below was in support of the investment programme rather than direct asset investment, e.g. through funding actions on river basin management plans and water sector reform.  If these are excluded in 2013, the total cost of public water and waste water investment for the domestic sector was €237m.

Exchequer Capital Expenditure on Water and Wastewater Services 2000-2013 (€m)

Since January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for the delivery of public water and waste water services and the direct Exchequer provision through the Departmental Vote has funded only the rural water programme (group water schemes, private wells and septic tanks). Exchequer Expenditure between 2014 and 2017 for this programme is set out as follows.

Funding for 2018 and beyond is under consideration as part of the Estimates process and the Review of the Capital Plan.

Total capital expenditure by Irish Water on public water services infrastructure from 2014 to 2017 is set out in the following table.  The expenditure also includes the funding of the metering programme, establishment costs and outstanding local authority balances. Some €110m was expended by Irish Water in 2013 on metering and establishment costs.

Capital Expenditure on Water and Wastewater Infrastructure by Irish Water (2014-2017)

The total capital programme in these years has been funded by Debt, Equity from the Minister for Finance, and customer revenue (including the subvention provided by the Department from the Local Government Fund in place of some elements of domestic costs).  The €2.4 billion in forecast expenditure to end 2017 forms part of the €5.5 billion capital programme set out in the Irish Water Business Plan 2014-2021.  The Commission for Energy Regulation has approved the capital spending for the current regulatory period to end 2018 and the 2019-2021 is being re-profiled in the light of investment to date. 

Arising from recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services, a new funding model is being put in place for Irish Water.  This will involve the State funding the cost of domestic water services. The requirements for 2018 to 2021 are being finalised in the context of the 2018 Estimates and the Capital Plan.  The Commission for Energy Regulation in examining costs of Irish Water, both operational and capital, applies a spilt of 80:20 between domestic and non-domestic costs.  The non-domestic costs will continue to be met on a cost recovery basis from non-domestic customers.