Water: Statements
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-21
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Michael Healy-Rae (IND), Kerry

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins. for the excellent work he has been doing, in a very practical, down to earth and sensible way, in trying to help the housing situation. By his initiatives and his control of the situation, along with the senior Minister, Deputy Browne, whom I also thank publicly, he is certainly introducing changes that will be felt up and down the length and breadth of this country. They will help our planning authorities by giving clear direction with regard to subdivision, exemptions, modular homes, and the subdivision of properties into houses and apartments. That is all to be welcomed. I hope that initiative of the Minister of State's will be a help in this plague we all have as public representatives in every village and town of derelict, defunct buildings that are lying there for years and years. People were afraid of the planning system. Developers and investors were afraid of it. The Minister of State's initiative will give surety to the planners and people who might buy a property, and to the homeowners themselves. I want to welcome that.
With regard to water and wastewater, I want to thank Irish Water for the work and help they are trying to do in this situation. Infrastructure is the biggest barrier to housing. For example, in places like Kenmare in County Kerry, the lack of mains water is a big hindrance at the moment to development. The recent developer-led infrastructure, DPI, initiative, whereby a developer can come along and provide services that will then be taken over by Irish Water, is to be welcomed. It is an initiative of this Government, of the Minister of State and of the senior Minister and I thank them for that. We have situations in places like Beaufort and I welcome that we have a plan in place for that, but we could be looking at another seven years of a wait. That is too long for the people of Beaufort. There are areas that cannot be developed and cannot grow due to a lack of wastewater facilities, such as Currow, Scartaglin, Caherdaniel and Castlegregory. These are places that are held up at present.
Another thing I want to highlight is where Irish Water is holding up the taking in charge of housing estates. We could have an estate that was developed in the early 2000s, for instance. The standards and regulations that existed at that time, that was the standard. Those housing estates have not been taken over since. Now, if those estates are to be taken over, the answer is that there is massive investment needed to bring them up to the standards of today, but who is going to pay for that? The developer might be gone. We cannot ask the property owners there to pay for it. The bonds are gone back. These people are really held up. I am sorry for going on. I thank the Minister of State for the work he is doing and urge him to keep at it.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-31T01:00:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-21