Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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211. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of developer provided infrastructure that has not yet been taken in charge by Irish Water [12049/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Funding of €68.5 million under the National Development Plan has been allocated for the period 2021-2025 for water legacy issues in relation to lead pipe remediation and the Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme.

My Department is operating a Multi-annual Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme to provide funding for the progressive resolution of housing estates with legacy developer provided water services infrastructure. The programme is focused on housing estates which are not taken in charge by local authorities and do not have their water services connected to the public water services network but rely instead on infrastructure, often temporary in nature, which was provided by developers.

In September 2020, I announced the first tranche of funding under this programme. Just over €3.36 million was made available for 26 estates across 10 counties with almost 950 households to benefit.

The Expert Panel is currently considering further bid submissions from local authorities and this, subject to my approval, will lead to a further wave of funding allocations in Q2, 2022. These projects, together with a major study being undertaken by Irish Water, will inform future policy and funding needs on resolving sub-standard developer provided water services infrastructure in the areas involved.

It will take a number of funding programmes to fully resolve estates with developer provided water services infrastructure, however, my Department is committed to progressing the taking in charge of these legacy estates through increased funding over the coming years.