Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)

I will do so. While I appreciate plans have been drawn up in the past, going back ten or 15 years, as I said the standards are such now and into the future, as the recast takes place, that the directive will be in force by the end of 2025. Member states will have to have it transposed by 2030, as far as I understand. That will create quite onerous targets in terms of not just tertiary but fourth stage treatment, which is only right. That changes the parameters in terms of assessment and the development of a new plant. It has to be future-proofed in order to meet the new targets and demands under the directive.

It is critically important that Uisce Éireann moves at speed and pace with plants like Ballydehob. As the Deputy said, there have been significant challenges in west Cork. It is important that the investment takes place. We are playing catch-up; I will take another question from Deputy Connolly on the situation in Galway. These issues are being addressed and Uisce Éireann is making significant progress. We are addressing a situation of decades of underinvestment in our water and wastewater infrastructure. It is not acceptable. The Government has made significant investment. We had the 2021-25 commitments of almost €6 billion in capital investment and €4.5 billion will be voted Exchequer funding. It is important.

Communities across the country and the EPA have said that we need to scale up investment and things need to happen apace. These communities are being constrained from developing or growing and receiving waters are important for our biodiversity.

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