Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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94. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of successful bids submitted by Tipperary County Council under the national taking in charge initiative; the number of bids submitted by Tipperary County Council; the status of the current bids; when a decision will be made on the current bids submitted; the outcome of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53416/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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In 2016 my Department sought to trial new approaches and working methods in supporting and accelerating overall national and local action on the process of taking in charge residential estates including those with developer provided water services infrastructure. This was done through a pilot initiative called the National Taking in Charge Initiative (NTICI).

Following the NTICI process my Department published the National Taking in Charge Initiative Report, in 2018. The report sets outs details of the bids arrangements and funding made to local authorities under the pilot initiative. The report included findings and recommendations which led to the introduction of the multi-annual funding programme, now in place, for the progressive resolution of housing estates with developer provided water services infrastructure.

The report is available on my Department's website at the following link:

www.housing.old.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/national_taking_in_charge_initiative_report_dec2018.pdf

Under the NTICI process Tipperary County Council were recouped €278,616 for the resolution of three estates with developer provided water services infrastructure (see Table 2 of NTICI report).

On 21 September 2020, I announced allocations under the new multi-annual capital investment programme - the Multi-annual Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme 2019-2021 - for the progressive resolution of housing estates with developer provided water services infrastructure, to enable the taking in charge of these estates.

The focus of the first multi-annual programme is on estates in towns and villages where the resolution is to connect their water services to the public networks. The programme will also support a number of pilot projects where connection is not feasible in the immediate future. These pilot projects, together with a major study currently being undertaken by Irish Water, will inform future policy considerations on resolving sub-standard developer provided infrastructure with sustainable solutions.

All local authorities that submitted bids were informed about the outcome of their bids in a circular which included a copy of an independent Expert Panel report on the bids process. The report provides the commentary of the Panel on their evaluation in the case of unsuccessful bids and guidance for the local authority in making future bids in upcoming programmes.

The circular is available on my Department's website at the following link:

www.housing.gov.ie/water/water-services/circular-ldpi01-2020-approval-projects-residential-estates-under-developer

None of the eleven bids from Tipperary County Council examined under the first announcement were successful (see table at Appendix C of the report) for funding for resolution of their developer provided infrastructure. However, under the approvals circular, local authorities were asked to examine further estates that required funding for resolution. Arising from this process, valid bids for four estates were received from Tipperary County Council.

I am awaiting a report from the Expert Panel following an evaluation of these further estates and the pilot projects.