I thank the Deputy for raising this. I know it is a project he fought hard for. When he sought and got initial approval in 2021, I would say he did not think he would still be here in 2025 seeking stage 2a to be progressed and approved, but here we are. I accept that is a long time and 12 months for the stage 2a process is a long time as well. I will certainly bring that back to the Department. It is a very exciting project. It is incredible: four general classrooms, seven SET rooms, three science labs with preparation rooms, two engineering rooms, two technology rooms with preparation rooms, one graphics room, one art room, one textiles room, one economics room, project stores and two classrooms for special educational needs. It is an extraordinary project and I am sure it will serve the people of Cavan and the students incredibly well. Delivery of this project has been devolved to Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board. A design team has been appointed to design the accommodation and bring the project through to the tender and construction phases. Projects progress from stage to stage in accordance with the project brief and the Department's design guidelines. Under the ASA scheme, the Department has detailed procedures in place for appraisal, design, tender and construction of all school building projects. Design team procedures define the points in a project's life cycle at which approval must be sought from the Department which aligns with the infrastructure guidelines and capital works management framework. These processes include the stage approval reviews, which challenge all elements of design and specification. These are an essential element of good cost control and support market interest in our school building projects. The project in Breifne College, as the Deputy outlined, is at stage 2a, involving the development of the design along with an accurate cost plan which best meets the design agreed at stage 1. In June 2024, almost 12 months ago, the Department received a stage 2a report from Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board for review. Following the submission of this report, the Department has been carrying out an intensive review from the technical and cost perspectives in accordance with the requirements of the public spending code. All projects, including this one, will undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the public infrastructure guidelines. Managing, timing, scope and cost are crucial to staying within budgetary limits for the overall programme. While the school naturally has ambitious timelines for the delivery of the project, the project forms part of our overall pipeline and each project's progression to the next stage. Once the stage 2a report review is concluded, the Department will be in contact with Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board to advise how best to progress this important project. What this project will do for education provision in Cavan is extraordinary. We have seen these projects rolled out across Ireland in the past four or five years and each town and area has benefited from them. It is high time Breifne College was able to avail of this. These processes take time, as we have seen in the past, but I accept that 12 months in stage 2a is a long period. I will relay that back to the Minister and the Department directly to try to get progress so that at least an opinion can be given to the college as soon as possible and so that the project can continue.

Sentiment score: 0.30

I did not know Senator Wilson was a former pupil. That is another testament to what a great education centre it is. In all seriousness, I thank the Deputy for bringing this up. I know how hard he fought for the project and that he would love to see it further progressed. I accept 12 months is a long time for the principal, staff, board and parents to be wondering where they stand on this. It will be built and delivered; it is just a matter of getting that information. I suggest in the interim we ask the Department to communicate with the principal and board and give some indication as to when stage 2a will be approved and they can carry on with planning permission. It would be lovely to think at least some of the students currently studying in Breifne College will be able to avail of the new school. The sixth and fifth year students will probably not have that luxury but perhaps students after that could. It would be amazing if we could get that going.

Sentiment score: 0.33

I thank Deputy O’Donoghue for raising this. I know it is frustrating. He has probably tabled parliamentary questions on this and got an answer saying that he cannot get detailed responses in parliamentary questions because it is a responsibility for Uisce Éireann. Therefore, this is a good opportunity to raise it in the Dáil and get a bit more detailed response from the Department. I welcome that. I will go into more detail in the response, but there seems to be several complications – legacy issues inherited by Uisce Éireann. I think concerted effort between the developer and Uisce Éireann is needed to resolve this. What is there seems to be a bit of a mess, which is causing, as the Deputy outlined, many of the issues. As the Deputy will understand, the supply of public water and the provision of water services in general are matters for Uisce Éireann in the first instance. 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 are matters for Uisce Éireann and approved through its own board and internal governance structures. Under section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, neither I nor the Minister, Deputy Browne, have function regarding Uisce Éireann’s specific operations at Ellen's Court. In other words, Ministers cannot get involved in individual projects; that is a matter for Uisce Éireann. However, I have made inquiries for the Deputy, and my understanding from information provided to me is that this matter relates to a water and wastewater connection issue for six houses in Ellen's Court, County Dublin and has been raised directly with Uisce Éireann previously. Contractors working on behalf of Uisce Éireann undertook some works at the location in November 2023, but their investigation established that connection works could not be completed by Uisce Éireann due to separate works needing to be completed by the developer of the estate on the private side. Engagement has been ongoing with the developer in the interim, with a view to remediating the issues outlined below. In summary, Uisce Éireann's contractors identified that the wastewater connection for the development had already been made to the wastewater network, contrary to the requirements of the connection agreement. On this basis, the wastewater connection is an unauthorised connection. Further, Uisce Éireann’s contractors also identified that the unauthorised connection to the wastewater network was made directly through an existing storm water pipe, causing very significant damage to the existing storm water network and significantly increasing the risk of flooding in the area. One can see the level of complication and the legacy that has been inherited here. Uisce Éireann understands that the local authority, as the competent storm water authority, has been in touch with the developer as a result, seeking remediation of the storm water network. That absolutely needs to happen. On the water side, the water pipe installed by the developer is laid directly on top of the wastewater pipe, rendering the installation non-compliant with Uisce Éireann’s relevant standards. While it may be technically feasible to make a water connection to the existing pipe, any such connection will only compound the existing non-compliance issues, including the existing damage to the storm water network. As a result, and pending rectification of the water-wastewater pipe layout to achieve compliance with Uisce Éireann’s relevant standards, it is not possible to proceed with a connection to the water network. Finally, the Uisce Éireann contractors observed that the development is currently provided with water by way of an exposed onward supply from an existing premises, which is causing water pressure issues both for the existing and new developments and runs the risk of service interruptions for occupants arising from exposure of the pipe to the elements. Given the unauthorised connections to both the water and wastewater networks, this is now a legal matter for Uisce Éireann. I have requested Uisce Éireann to engage directly with the residents of Ellen's Court to keep them informed of progress. I hope Uisce Éireann does reach out to the residents, as per the response. I directed Uisce Éireann to do that. The Deputy can see that it is a bit of a mess, and it has been inherited. While I 100% agree with the Deputy that the constituents he represents need answers, connection and for this to be resolved, when developers go about things in such a way, it makes things incredibly difficult, and that has to be acknowledged as well.

Sentiment score: 0.08

I will elaborate a bit more. Uisce Éireann has a customer service function through its water charges plan and customer charter, which outlines the standard of services customers should expect to receive. It is open to any member of the public to lodge a formal complaint with Uisce Éireann if they are not happy with the service provided. Details on how to do so are on its website. Any issues that cannot be resolved by Uisce Éireann to the satisfaction of the customer can be referred, under the formal complaints process, to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. The details on this process can be found on the CRU website. The Government’s priority is to ensure that people’s health is protected and that adequate water is available for all consumers. Both our water and wastewater systems require substantial and sustained investment over a number of investment cycles to bring the systems up to the quality of resilience standards required of a modern service to provide for population growth and to build resilience in the face of climate change. I assure the Deputy that the Government is delivering a sustainable funding path to further enhance the ongoing significant improvements in our public water and wastewater services. Again, I have contacted Uisce Éireann and asked it to reach out to the residents to try to give them some information and satisfaction in terms of the path forward. However, the Deputy will understand based on the response I gave earlier that there are a whole host of legacy issues that, unfortunately, are not simply resolved overnight. I know this has taken time. If Uisce Éireann does not reach out to the residents, the Deputy should come back to me and we will ensure that communication happens.

Sentiment score: 0.11