John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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351. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to allow the use of private waste water treatment systems for developments in locations where there is inadequate or no public infrastructure provided by Irish Water; if large scale housing projects and such developments as nursing homes will be included for consideration; his plans to provide financial support for domestic and commercial developments of this kind to assist in meeting the rigorous standards that may be required by Irish Water; if he will ensure that funding is made available for housing developments in particular to assist with such costs and to prevent an uneven divide between sites serviced by public infrastructure and those developed with the use of private treatment systems; and if he will give a timeline indicating the indicative date for implementation of the new measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67975/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I recently announced a developer-led wastewater infrastructure initiative to support housing delivery in areas where public wastewater services provided by Uisce Éireann are insufficient or not planned in the near term. The initiative is directed primarily at new housing rather than commercial or other non-residential developments.

The new arrangements will allow the private sector to deliver wastewater infrastructure in collaboration with Uisce Éireann, particularly in smaller towns and villages where capacity constraints have limited development. Uisce Éireann will oversee the design and construction ensuring all infrastructure meets required standards and will assume ownership and operational responsibility once completed.

Developers can now fund and deliver the required infrastructure, with Uisce Éireann available to work with them, providing guidance and ensuring regulatory compliance. Uisce Éireann may contribute to costs where the infrastructure being built provides strategic capacity for future housing or wider service needs.

The policy framework has been agreed with key stakeholders, including Uisce Éireann and the Environmental Protection Agency, and preparatory work for implementation is under way. I hope to have all the necessary measures in place by the end of the first quarter of 2026.

This will provide a clear and practical pathway for advancing urgently needed housing projects in areas affected by wastewater constraints.