Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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272. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the progress being made in respect of the proposals contained within the Water Sector Transformation Policy Paper: Irish Water – Towards a National, Publicly Owned, Regulated Water Services Utility; the progress being made in resolving the issue of estates that are not being taken in charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57051/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Policy Paper on Water Sector Transformation (February, 2021) sets out clearly the approach planned by Government to proceed with the integration of public water services within Irish Water's organisation structure and thereby deliver a publicly owned, stand-alone, regulated, national water utility tasked with moderninsing and transforming the delivery of water services in Ireland.

There are significant issues for the workforce to be addressed in integrating the day-to-day operation and delivery of water services within Irish Water. To resolve these, I asked the Workplace Relations Commission to engage with all parties aimed at reaching a collective agreement on a Framework for the future delivery of water services. This process is ongoing at present. The Government believes it will be possible to reach a collective agreement which addresses the interests and concerns of all parties.

The taking-in-charge of housing estates is a matter for the relevant local authority under section 180 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended).

While updated arrangements to address matters related to the taking-in-charge of residential developments following the establishment of Irish Water have been put in place in line with Circular Letter PL 5/2014, those estates which rely on Developer Provided Infrastructure must be considered separately on a case by case basis, and may be subject to delay where the infrastructure proves to be substandard and requires resolution.

With a view to supporting and accelerating action at national and local level towards the taking-in-charge of housing estates, a multi-annual Waste Services Developer Provided Infrastructure Resolution Programme was introduced in 2019 to facilitate the progressive resolution of substandard infrastructure in a sustainable manner.

Details of projects approved during the first funding cycle (2019-2021) announced in September 2021, together with a copy of an independent Expert Panel report on the bids process, are 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.

A subsequent tranche of valid bids for further estates has since been received and is currently undergoing evaluation by the Expert Panel.