Debate contribution: NI Water: Funding and Governance

Debate contribution by Mr Keith Buchanan on 29 April 2025.

MLA

Mr Keith Buchanan

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

29 April 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

NI Water: Funding and Governance

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4922256

Read the official Assembly record

Text

In previous debates, we have highlighted the need to ensure that NI Water fix the problems in different areas so that everyone can get the service that they require. However, not much has been achieved yet, with people, developers and businesses still restricted in what they can develop or grow. Many places in Northern Ireland have old pipes and sewerage systems that need to be fixed or replaced. Some towns are struggling because they have inadequate sewerage systems. Northern Ireland's water and sewerage infrastructure crisis is holding back economic growth and housing development. Around 19,000 new homes are stalled due to the waste water capacity issues, and experts have said that, even with immediate investment, fixing the problem could take a decade. Northern Ireland Water has warned that chronic underfunding is restricting new housing, schools and businesses in over 100 towns and cities. Without proper drainage systems, construction projects cannot move forward. It is clear that frustration is mounting over the lack of decisive action. While funding constraints are a reality, leadership is required to set priorities and find innovative solutions even in difficult circumstances. Ultimately, the responsibility to prioritise and address infrastructure issues lies with the Minister and her Department. The Minister must take ownership and provide a transparent road map for tackling underinvestment to ensure better alignment with the broader economic and housing goals. Without a clear strategy, Northern Ireland's economic growth and housing development will continue to suffer. Recent efforts, such as securing funding of £19·5 million for 2,300 new property connections, show some progress. However, the scale of underinvestment, which is estimated at £3 billion, requires bold leadership and collaboration. The Minister must outline a comprehensive plan to modernise water infrastructure and ensure its alignment with housing and economic goals. NI Water's Sara Venning told the Infrastructure Committee:

"We have more overflows per head of population, and per kilometre of pipe, than is the case in"

other parts of

"the UK". — [Official Report (Hansard), 8 April 2024, p47, col 1].

That is not good enough. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) told the Infrastructure Committee that roughly a quarter of the pollution incidents that specifically relate to water quality are a result of waste water treatment by NI Water. That is damming and, no doubt, has had a major impact on water quality and contributed to the recent issues in our loughs. Storm overflows were introduced as a workaround for Northern Ireland's ageing sewerage system, but they have become a major issue. Recent drainage modelling shows that many overflows spill far more often than the standards deem to be acceptable. That is due to underinvestment and the lack of new infrastructure to manage waste water properly. As of February 2025, NI Water had 2,440 storm overflows. Around half of those have been modelled using NIEA criteria, and 39% have been assessed as unsatisfactory. The spills not only harm the environment but highlight the urgent need for strategic investment in the sewerage network. Without investment, the problem will only worsen as population and development demands grow. I will turn to developer contributions. As I mentioned previously, the £19·5 million for 2,300 properties announced back in December equates to approximately £8,500 per property. An explanatory note on the current consultation on developer contributions indicates that £84 million:

"would allow 5,300 houses to connect and ... capacity for a further 2000 connections."

That works out at £11,500 per connection. We have two figures for the cost per connection: £8,500 and £11,500. The note further states that there is:

"no expectation that developer contributions will provide all, or even most, of the ... funding".

Can the Minister tell us, when responding to the debate, what the Department's thoughts are on that and on what the figure could be? The Sinn Féin amendment states:

"'opposes the introduction of water charges on already hard-pressed ... families".

Will the developer contribution, if it happens and depending on its size, be passed on to "already hard-pressed families" when they purchase a new home? We await the outcome of the consultation. I would appreciate it if the Minister could cover those points in her closing remarks.

692 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:28 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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