Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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71. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the allocation of €1 billion in additional capital investment to Uisce Éireann announced as part of budget 2025 on 1 October is additional funding or part of its existing funding requirements; his understanding of how this funding is being allocated to non-domestic capital investment as outlined in the budget announcement for remedial action lists, connections for new housing and addressing urban wastewater pressures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16242/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Uisce Éireann Strategic Funding Plan 2025-2029 was approved in November 2024 and sets out an ambitious capital investment plan to make necessary improvements to water and wastewater infrastructure including new capacity to facilitate growth.

The Strategic Funding Plan 2025-2029 includes the capital and operational costs expected to be incurred by Uisce Éireann over a multiannual period and how these costs fall to be recovered to ensure a shared understanding between Government and Uisce Éireann of the broad financial parameters and investment priorities. The funding requirement will be met through a combination of non-domestic revenue, government subvention, non-domestic funding and capital contributions.

The €1 billion in capital investment in Uisce Éireann was in addition to the Voted funding provided in Budget 2025 and is part of the funding mix for the Strategic Funding Plan 2025-2029 that will support the delivery of significant improvements in our public water and wastewater services, support housing delivery and improved water supplies right across Ireland, including rural Ireland, and support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in our rivers, lakes and marine area.

The €1 billion funding was announced in Budget 2025 as being allocated to non-domestic capital investment. However, after a review of the Uisce Éireann funding mix the Government decided that the €1 billion would be allocated to domestic and non-domestic capital investment.

It is acknowledged that the Strategic Funding Plan for 2025-2029 does not take account of the new housing targets as they were set after the plan was submitted. The Programme for Government commits to investing additional capital in Uisce Éireann to support reaching our new housing targets.

Uisce Éireann have submitted a request for an additional capital funding to facilitate the Government's revised housing targets. I am reviewing this additional funding request from Uisce Éireann as part of the review of the National Development Plan, which is to be completed in the coming months.

Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. The scope, prioritisation and progression of individual projects or areas is a matter for Uisce Éireann and is approved through its own internal governance structures. As Minister, I have no function in operational matters.

Uisce Éireann has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 0818 578 578.