Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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18. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the way in which his new proposals for developer-provided water and wastewater infrastructure will avoid the problems associated with the policy when it was last in place; and the steps he will take to resolve the around 450 estates currently in limbo due to the failures of this policy previously. [65685/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I recently announced a new partnership approach to enable the private sector to develop wastewater treatment facilities, working in collaboration with Uisce Éireann, for smaller housing developments. This approach will allow the private sector to play a greater role in delivering wastewater infrastructure that is constructed to Uisce Éireann standards. This will provide much needed capacity to facilitate housing delivery particularly in small towns and villages where infrastructure constraints have held back development.

Under the new arrangements, Uisce Éireann will be involved from the outset—from design through to commissioning—ensuring that all infrastructure is built to agreed national standards. Uisce Éireann will take responsibility for regulatory compliance and, once constructed, will own and operate the infrastructure. This provides a clear and reliable pathway for new wastewater assets to enter public ownership, safeguards environmental and technical standards, and avoids the uncertainty that existed under previous developer-provided infrastructure (DPI) arrangements.

The challenges that arose under previous arrangements for developer-provided infrastructure are well recognised. The key safeguard in the new proposals is that Uisce Éireann will ultimately own and operate all new infrastructure, provided it is built to its standards. This ensures that the failures associated with past arrangements cannot be repeated.

In relation to legacy DPI, responsibility for remediation has rested with Uisce Éireann since 1 January 2024. A multi-stakeholder group involving Uisce Éireann, local authorities and my Department is overseeing this work, and a coordinated national plan is being developed to address the approximately 450 estates affected. Given the scale and complexity of the issues, resolving all locations will take time.

Work is underway, led by Uisce Éireann and in close cooperation with local authorities, to review the position in the approximately 450 affected estates and to determine the actions needed to address these legacy issues.

My Department will continue to work with Uisce Éireann and local authorities to support a sustainable and workable approach for both new developments and legacy estates.