Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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575. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of residences and businesses that are dependent on private water supplies; if he considers the provision of a mains water supply to all residences and businesses in the State as a basic service; if he intends rolling out a scheme, similar to the National Broadband scheme for broadband, to make a public water supply available to all residences and businesses in the State at an affordable cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2069/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Almost 85% of households are supplied by water through the public water system operated by Uisce Éireann. Census 2016 indicated that approximately 172,000 households nationally (around 10% of households) have private sources of water (usually a private well). Updated data based on census 2022 will be published by the Central Statistics Office later this year. In addition, an estimated 6% of the population are served by group water schemes.

Under the European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations 2014 local authorities are required to maintain a register of each water supply for which they are a supervisory authority and will be able to provide more detailed information on private water supplies within their own functional areas.

The Government’s vision for water services – whether publicly supplied by Uisce Éireann or otherwise delivered under the Rural Water Programme - is set out in the Water Services Policy Statement 2018 to 2025 and is based on the delivery and development of water services in line with the needs and expectations of citizens and users; in compliance with legal obligations; in a fair and cost-effective manner, and in keeping with the principles of social, economic and environmental sustainability. A copy of the Water Services Policy Statement 2018 to 2025 can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/49364-water-services-policy-statement-2018-2025/

Factors such as distance and geography mean that connection to the public water system operated by Uisce Éireann, is unlikely to be a technically feasible or economically viable solution for all households and businesses. It is important to note that the economic and environmental oversight of Uisce Éireann are matters primarily for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities and the Environmental Protection Agency respectively, given their separate regulatory roles. Clearly, however, the Exchequer support provided through the Rural Water Programme will continue to be necessary to deliver improvements to the quality, reliability and efficiency of private water services in areas of rural Ireland where there is no access to piped water services.

The National Development Plan includes an allocation of €175 million over the period 2021 to 2025 for investment in rural water infrastructure under the Rural Water Programme.

My Department is currently finalising work on the review of the Rural Water Sector which is considering issues such as governance, supervision and monitoring, along with the wider investment needs of the sector to be provided for under the Rural Water Programme. The aim of the review is to recommend actions now and into the future to ensure an equality of outcomes for those served by Uisce Éireann or supported under the Rural Water Programme.

Overall investment in water services, whether provided through the public water system operated by Uisce Éireann or under the Rural Water Programme, continue to be maintained at high-levels year on year to ensure security of quality supplies to customers across the country while achieving greater environmental compliance in keeping with our Water Framework Directive obligations.