Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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82. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on the reluctance of some local authorities to take charge of housing estates containing developer provided water infrastructure based on the distance from the DPI infrastructure to the local public connection; his views on whether additional funding should be made available for such instances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13288/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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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 (Irish Water) network, but rely instead on infrastructure, often temporary in nature, which was provided by developers. The focus of the first tranches of funding is on estates in towns and villages where the resolution is to connect their water services to the public networks. 

Under Section 180 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, the planning authority is obliged to initiate taking in charge procedures where requested by either the developer or by the majority of owners of the dwellings in question. However, this is subject to the development being completed to the satisfaction of the planning authority and in accordance with the permission and any conditions attached to the permission. 

A study is being carried out by Irish Water to develop optimum solutions for estates with legacy developer provided water services infrastructure. The study will help my Department with developing policy solutions, including issues around funding, for estates that, due to distance, are not viable to connect to the public network. This is by considering sustainable treatment technologies either on the same site or another suitable alternative site. I understand the study is expected to be completed in Q2, 2022.