Record funding for water services in Budget 2023 welcomed

Uisce Éireann welcomes Tuesday's Budget announcement by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien TD, of a record funding allocation of €1.557 billion in 2023 for Uisce Éireann. The funding will allow Uisce Éireann to progress projects across the country, delivering jobs, increasing capacity for housing and development and supporting economic growth; balanced with our vision for a sustainable Ireland where the environment is respected and protected.

Significant projects earmarked to continue in 2023 include leakage reduction works and upgrades to water and wastewater plants and networks. This will be done with the support of our supply chain partners across the country who continue to work collaboratively, safely and efficiently with Uisce Éireann.

Speaking about the allocation Niall Gleeson, CEO of Uisce Éireann, said: "We welcome the continued commitment to funding water services by Minister O'Brien and the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The increase in capital investment in public water services is vital to support housing delivery, economic recovery, and for delivering environmental compliance. The additional funding comes at a time of exceptional inflationary pressures within the global environment and will ensure our programmes of works continues at pace. 

"Uisce Éireann's Strategic Funding Plan sets out our ambition for the building, repair and upgrading of Uisce Éireann's water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants, water and sewer network. This investment is already seeing results; in 2021 over half a million customers were removed from at-risk water supplies, major infrastructure projects delivered, over 99% of our drinking water was compliant with regulations and we have reduced raw sewage discharges nationally by over 60%. We will also continue our investment in leakage and in supporting social and economic growth enabling delivery on the Housing For All objectives. In 2021 Uisce Éireann issued positive connection offers associated with 32,404 housing units. And we are on track to exceed that in 2022, with positive connection offers associated with over 18,000 housing units in the first half of this year alone.

"Next year's commitment on funding means we are on track to invest circa €5.3 billion in water services from 2020 through to 2024. Full detail of many of our projects and plans are available to view on www.water.ie"