Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Governments commits to funding Uisce Éireann’s capital investment plan for water and wastewater infrastructure on a multi-annual basis. There will be record levels of investment in water services by Uisce Éireann in the period 2021-2025, with commitments of almost €6 billion in capital investment of which over €4.5 billion will be voted Exchequer funding for domestic water services. This commitment is reflected in Budget 2024, with almost €1 billion of capital funding available to Uisce Éireann.

Uisce Éireann is statutorily required to develop a Strategic Funding Plan (SFP), which sets out its proposed capital and operational expenditure deliver improvements to water and wastewater services over a five-year period with a view to delivering on the objectives of the Government’s Water Services Policy Statement.

I am currently awaiting a revised SFP 2025-2029 to be submitted by Uisce Éireann. The final funding provision over that period will be determined based on the regulatory determinations of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities and the annual estimates process.

With regard to larger scale infrastructure projects with a projected cost exceeding €200 million there is also a requirement under the Infrastructure Guidelines for specific Government approval at both preliminary and final business case stages of the project approval process. The Government gave its approval on 25 June to the preliminary business case for the Water Supply Project: Eastern and Midlands Region which seeks to source water from the Shannon to secure the future supply of drinking water in a series of water resource zones in close proximity to the pipeline route and the Greater Dublin area.