Debate contribution: NI Water: Funding and Governance

Debate contribution by Mr John Stewart on 29 April 2025.

MLA

Mr John Stewart

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

29 April 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

NI Water: Funding and Governance

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4922274

Read the official Assembly record

Text

This is the latest in a series of debates on Northern Ireland Water and the funding crisis that it faces. It is a crisis; you do not need to be a member of the Infrastructure Committee, like my colleagues and me, to know the seriousness and gravity of the situation. Every one of us from across all constituencies is well up to date on the problems and capacity issues that face Northern Ireland Water. As we know, Northern Ireland Water is critical to the health, economy and environment of Northern Ireland, yet, for too long, it has been expected to deliver vital services with one hand tied behind its back. That approach has left Northern Ireland Water underfunded, unable to plan properly for the future and increasingly unable to meet rising demands. We now see the consequences of that. As we have heard, new housing developments are stalled across Northern Ireland because the water and waste water infrastructure simply cannot cope. Tens of thousands of houses are stalled in key growth areas, such as Belfast, Newry, parts of mid-Ulster and in my constituency of East Antrim, where, for example, a whole section of Larne is banned from seeing any development. That is simply unsustainable, mainly because, as we know, we lack the investment in waste water treatment capacity. As we know, it is not just a problem for private developers; it is a problem for everyone. It blocks economic growth, worsens housing shortages and weakens our ability to attract investment. The Minister for Communities has recently and rightly announced an investment in social housing, but we will not see that come to fruition without resolving the waste water capacity issues. The Minister for Infrastructure has a three-pronged approach, and, as part of that, developer levies are being considered. I, for one, join other Members in wanting to see the details of that, because I fear that, while those levies may be developer-led, they will ultimately be homeowner- or renter-paid. That is not what we want to see. The previous Utility Regulator, the Consumer Council and independent experts have all pointed to the same root cause: the funding model is broken. Northern Ireland Water needs stable, multi-year investment, not the uncertainty of hand-to-mouth annual budgets that cannot keep pace with infrastructure needs. When members of the Audit Office were at the Committee recently, I made the point that not only are we not spending enough right now but, by underspending year-on-year, the infrastructure that is there will cost more and more to maintain, so we are running to stand still. It is simply unsustainable. We need an honest, evidenced-based, rational assessment of what is required to secure reliable, resilient water services for the future that support growth, protect public health and meet our environmental obligations. When we see raw sewage pumping onto our streets and into Belfast lough and the impacts on Lough Neagh, it is clear to all of us that something urgently needs to happen. The Ulster Unionist Party is happy to support the Alliance Party's amendment and the original motion. We look forward to seeing action from the Minister.

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

Assessment

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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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