Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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565. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department has undertaken a review of utility infrastructure deficits in rural towns and villages; the way in which these deficits are currently limiting the delivery of rural housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54600/25]

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Under section 10 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, it is a statutory requirement for each planning authority to include objectives in their development plan for the provision or facilitation of infrastructure.

For new housing within smaller settlements, it is important to consider the most appropriate type of infrastructural that may support growth in these locations. Where no public wastewater network is available, individual homes may be provided with individual wastewater treatment facilities, subject to compliance with relevant environmental standards and requirements. Further information is available in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Code of Practice for Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems.

It is a matter for the respective local authorities to identify any other infrastructure deficits that may constrain housing delivery through their development plans.

The Government is committed to investment in rural water services. As part of this commitment my Department is investing in infrastructure to deliver improvements to water services in areas of rural Ireland where Uisce Éireann services are not currently available. More than €243 million is provided under the National Development Plan 2021-2030 over the period from 2021 to 2025, for investment in non-Uisce Éireann water infrastructure. In addition, Uisce Éireann have a Small Towns and Villages Growth Programme (STVGP), which will provide growth capacity in smaller settlements that would otherwise not be provided for in its capital investment plan.