Brian Stanley: Will Water Funding Follow Rezoning?

I'm asking the Minister in relation to, you have a demand and a request and have no problem with it on local authorities within the wider Dublin catchment area to zone for a large increase in population and a significant increase in the number of dwellings. And obviously that needs infrastructure. The question is with local authorities, because of the tight budgets they operate on, will funding be provided, particularly through Irish Water, to actually get the infrastructure required, waste water and water supply to provide for that? Thank you very much Deputy and I appreciate your question in relation to the water supply and waste water systems and in relation to Aoisge Éireann. Both our water and waste water systems require substantial and indeed sustained investment over a number of investment cycles to bring them up to the standard and the quality required for a modern service to provide people with the very necessary supports and to ensure growth and to build resilience in the face of climate change as well. My department is delivering a sustainable funding path to further enhance the ongoing significant improvements in our public water and waste water services. Since its inception, Aoisge Éireann has ramped up capital delivery capability for water services and infrastructure from a mere 300 million euros in 2014 to 1.4 billion euros as part of the budget for 2026. Under the national development plan, the government is supporting Aoisge Éireann with a record allocation of 11.7 billion euros in funding out to 2030. This funding will support the delivery of a very wide range of projects in our cities and towns and regions for housing delivery, safeguarding public health and the environment and, crucially, providing the capacity that is required to add housing so we can address the housing crisis in this country. This investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and waste water services, support improved water supplies right across Ireland and will support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in our rivers, lakes and marine area, making a significant contribution to address Ireland's needs. However, Aoisge Éireann has the statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services, planning, delivery and operation at a national level, regional level and local level. Therefore, the scope, prioritisation and the progression of individual projects is a matter for Aoisge Éireann and is approved through its own internal governance structures. As Minister, I have no function in such matters. Aoisge Éireann has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. Thank you very much, Tascán Córdai. The responsibility lies here and I think that this needs to be clear. There is a policy decision by your department to zone these extra lands. In the case of Leashes, you know, they have zoned substantial extra lands in the last two weeks. In fact, for an increase of over 8,000 houses, which will bring about 24% to 25% in population increase in four to five years. They can't all be in Portleish, Minister, and I understand and am supportive to solve the housing crisis. We need to strengthen the villages and smaller towns to provide an option for people that live, if you know, within the village structure, where they are close to pubs, shops, community centre, et cetera, and schools. So that means upgrading the water system. And, you know, within Aoisge Éireann's small villages and town schemes, they earmarked four villages in Leashes. One of them has been done by their own and I welcome that. That has been upgraded. But Boris Nostraí, Ballinachill and Ballybritish Hafland, they were all earmarked by them. And somebody needs to intervene to tell them that these need to be upgraded. Because in the case of Boris Nostraí, there are 160 extra houses planned for extra land. Ballinachill 56 and Greycullen 47. And it can't be provided without the infrastructure. Thank you very much. The Deputy makes an important point. We are asking local authorities to rezone a significant amount of land to deliver additional housing. I would encourage local authorities to actually complete that process because I'm not happy with the time that many local authorities have taken in what is a housing crisis. I don't believe many local authorities have been treating it as such with the delays in terms of delivering additional zone land, which is essential to deliver homes and solve the housing crisis in this country so houses can get built. In relation to villages, we've introduced developer-led infrastructure to allow developers to be able to provide wastewater facilities as well in our villages, which is absolutely crucial. We, of course, also, and the Deputy rightly points out about using over-the-shop, for example, using existing services and regeneration in our towns are crucial as well. Can I just say in relation to Boris Nostraí, as the Deputy would be aware, Aisgearan commenced works to upgrade the Boris Nostraí wastewater treatment plant to support future growth and developments with works beginning in March of this year of 2026. This is a €4.1 million investment that will benefit homes. The works are expected to be completed in autumn of 2027. I have some more to say about it, but I'll address them next. About the ones that are being provided by developers and the Tánaiste for now, Simon Harris, in reply to me, said that a lot of them will be provided by developers. That's okay if that can be done, but you and I know that Aisgearan is reluctant to take in charge infrastructure provided by developers and I can show you one in Leash where that's held up because of that. So, there's been a lot of back and forth with Aisgearan on this and local authorities and your department and as far as I'm aware, and the last information I have, that nut hasn't been cracked yet. So, in the case of Grey Cullen, Boris Nostraí and Bann na Céile, and a welcome to progress on Boris Nostraí, they're all in the red. They're labelled as red by Aisgearan in terms of wastewater. In other words, there's no development that can take place. So, the lands that I have mentioned extra houses in each of those areas, they are in addition to what's already under construction or what's already zoned. So, we need to strengthen the villages and towns. We can't put everybody in Port Leash. You saw when you were down yourselves, the two Ministers, you saw yourselves what's happening in Leash in terms of house building, private and public, as local authority. You've seen the figures for the zoning of land two weeks ago. Leash isn't behind the curve here, but we need input from government and insurance. Thank you very much. In terms of the developer-led infrastructure, I suppose it's always, in any new process, there's always going to be, I suppose, who's going to be the first mover. And when you get over the first couple that are delivered, others will see the pathway and move an awful lot more quickly. So, what we have said to Aisgearan, and they are doing this, is to work with local authorities, to work with developers, to try and get those first movers across the line as quickly as possible. To give confidence then to other developers to follow suit. And to be clear, these are not pilots. These are first movers. Any developer can move forward providing these in local villages at the moment. And that is happening with Aisgearan, engaging with the local authorities and developers. And I'm confident a number of those will come true. And these have the support of the EPA. So, you are right, there is a reluctance with Aisgearan to take over legacy wastewater projects around the country, often because of the cost that's involved or legacy issues. These developer-led infrastructure projects have been worked out very carefully with the EPA, with Aisgearan. And that's why I believe there will be success and hand-holding going on at the moment to get the first few across the line. Thank you.