Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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202. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he plans for water to be brought to Murrisk and Lecanvey, County Mayo (details supplied); and his further plans to ensure this project is part of Irish Water's capital plan. [22841/18]

Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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203. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if it is part of the medium-term planning of Irish Water to pipe water from Westport to Louisburgh, County Mayo, and to bring clean drinking water to all areas in between. [22842/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 202 and 203 together.

Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Irish Water, as a single publicly owned national water services authority, is taking a strategic, nationwide national utility approach to asset planning and investment, and meeting customer requirements.

Irish Water’s Water Services Strategic Plan (WSSP) published in 2015 sets out the strategic objectives for its delivery of water services over 25 years up to 2040 in order to ensure the provision of clean safe drinking water, effective management of wastewater, environmental protection and support for social and economic development. The Irish Water Business Plan, Transforming Water Services in Ireland to 2021 (also published in 2015), sets out its short to medium term planning in implementing the first phase of the Water Services Strategic Plan.

Irish Water is regulated by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) as the independent economic regulator. The CRU is responsible for setting the total level of revenue which Irish Water can receive, through Government subvention and from customers, to cover its efficiently incurred costs. This CRU process involves, inter alia, reviewing submissions from Irish Water, including on its investment plan, and thereafter setting appropriate revenue allowances for operating costs, capital costs and other items for given regulatory periods. Consequently, the actual allowed operational expenditure and capital investment is decided by the CRU.

On 21 May 2018, I published the Water Services Policy Statement 2018-2025 following its approval by Government. The Policy Statement gives clear direction to strategic planning and decision making on water and wastewater services in Ireland. The Policy Statement sets out a series of high-level policy objectives across the three thematic areas of Quality, Conservation, and Future Proofing, which must be pursued when planning capital investment and framing current spending plans. The Policy Statement is available on my Department’s website at the following link:

www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/water_services_policy_statement_2018-2025_0.pdf.

Within 3 months of publication of the Policy Statement, Irish Water must prepare a ‘Strategic Funding Plan’ setting out proposed operational and capital expenditure. Subject to its approval by me as Minister, the Strategic Funding Plan will ultimately feed into annual Exchequer decisions on spending.

Based on this Strategic Funding Plan, Irish Water’s next Capital Investment Plan for the five year period from 2020 to 2024 will set out the financial plan for capital investments to support Irish Water’s strategic objectives, as set out in the WSSP and in its Business Plan, to deliver improvements to water services where they are needed most. Irish Water will also take account of developing subsidiary programmes within its investment plan to assist in implementing the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan including the forthcoming Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies as well as ongoing reviews of local authority statutory land use plans. It is in that context that investment decisions in relation to individual projects will be made.

In the context of the Rural Water Programme my Department made enquiries with Mayo County Council which indicate that the Council recently engaged with the Murrisk and Lecanvey community with a view to them forming a Group Water Scheme for the area subject to co-funding under my Department’s Rural Water Programme. Such a Group Water Scheme for the area would be sourced from a public water connection provided by Irish Water. I understand that the Rural Water Section of the Council continue to be available to engage with the community on this option.