Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 June 2026
196. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a detailed breakdown of the funding allocated to improving Ireland’s water quality by his Department broken down by programme allocation, CapEx and OpEx in each of the years 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form. [47917/26]
View answerFunding under the Water Quality Programme supports initiatives to protect and restore water quality, particularly those associated with the implementation of, and compliance with, the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), and implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, including programmes provided by key stakeholders.
The breakdown provided by my Department is in the associated table.
Water Quality Programme Funding
|
|
Capital €000 |
Operational €000 |
|
2020 |
10,999 |
14,849 |
|
2021 |
9,190 |
17,023 |
|
2022 |
7,018 |
18,234 |
|
2023 |
10,001 |
21,786 |
|
2024 |
10,000 |
25,400 |
|
2025 |
13,000 |
26,900 |
|
2026 |
41,000 |
31,000 |
In addition, my Department funds the Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems Grant Schemes, commonly known as the Septic Tank Grant Schemes, as part of its broader suite of measures supporting water quality. The schemes provide financial support to householders to remediate, repair, upgrade or replace defective domestic wastewater treatment systems and contribute to the protection of water quality by reducing the risk of pollution from such systems.
Furthermore, under the National Development Plan, the Government is supporting Uisce Éireann with a record allocation of €11.7 billion in funding out to 2030. This funding will support the delivery of a wide range of projects in our cities and regions required for housing delivery, safeguarding public health and the environment; and crucially, the capacity required for our new housing targets. Since its inception, Uisce Éireann has ramped up capital delivery capability for water services and infrastructure from €300m in 2014 to roughly €1.4 billion as part of Budget 2026, to further strengthen our water infrastructure, including wastewater treatment capacity to protect our environment.
It is important to note that Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. The scope, prioritisation and progression of individual projects is a matter for Uisce Éireann, and is approved through its own internal governance structures.
