Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent)
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1534. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the progress made in identifying and registering assets which belong to the public water system. [15431/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Section 12 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides for the transfer, by Ministerial Order, of the property of a water services authority (a city council, county council or city and county council) to Irish Water. The process requires that any land transferred to Irish Water must be clearly and unambiguously identified. Accordingly, land (including water services assets) is being transferred by reference to its Property Registration Authority folio number.

Considerable complex work is required to identify all of the folios containing water services assets with many of the folios being of mixed use thus requiring sub-division before transfer to Irish Water.

Prior to the vesting of assets by Ministerial Order, local authorities working in conjunction with Irish Water and the Property Registration Authority (PRA), with the support of my Department, ensure that each asset has been correctly identified and included on a Manager's Order for subsequent inclusion in the Ministerial Order. My Department also provides funding to local authorities to facilitate the asset transfer process.

Up to end 2017, a total of 12 Ministerial Orders have been made to transfer water services assets from the local authorities to Irish Water accounting for some 2,015 assets or approximately 30% of the currently known asset base of 6,696. Subsequent to my signing of a Ministerial Order, the PRA undertakes the process of registration of the water services assets with Irish Water. The focus has been on the transfer of larger assets resulting in approximately 64% of water supply capacity and approximately 67% of wastewater treatment capacity currently transferred to Irish Water.

Further Ministerial Orders are being completed in line with the receipt of the Manager's Orders from local authorities.