AQW 19376/22-27


Mr Peter McReynolds
Alliance Party
East Belfast


Tabled Date: 05/12/2024
Answered On Date: 17/12/2024
Priority Written: Yes


Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure, pursuant to AQW 18962/22-27, (i) for a breakdown of the £0.5 billion figure cited by (a) resource; (b) capital; and (c) earmarked projects, taking account of the alterations to the final opening budget allocations from the Equality Impact Assessment; (ii) to detail the percentage of the £0.5 billion allocated to improve wastewater treatment; (iii) to detail the wastewater treatment works that received this funding; and (iv) how he plans to fill the funding gap.


Answer:
(i) (a),(b) The table below sets out the breakdown of the £0.5 billion figure, including the additional £11.5m resource DEL and £19.5m capital DEL allocated following the October monitoring round:
Capital 2024-25 £k
EU Peace Plus (ring fenced) *
875
General allocation
343,167
Total
344,042
Resource 2024-25 £k
Total
149,230
*This is to cover the Department’s match-funding element of the EU Peaceplus grant for this scheme.
(c) The funding is earmarked for the delivery of water and wastewater base maintenance and capital enhancement as determined under the Price Control and subject to budget availability. The capital funding I have provided in addition to the final opening budget will be used to alleviate capacity constraints to enable housing connections.
(ii) NI Water has advised that, of the £0.5 billion allocated, 33% overall has been allocated to improve wastewater infrastructure.
(iii) NI Water has advised that they are investing public funding in the following Wastewater Treatment Works in 2024-25:
Ballyronan WwTW
Carrickfergus WwTW
Lisnaskea WwTW - Cat 5
Killygonlan WwTW
Loughries WwTW
Clogher WwTW
Bellaghy WwTW
Kinnegar WwTW
Lough Macrory WwTW
Grange WwTW
Ballygowan WwTW
Garrison WwTWs
Ballintoy WwTW
Newcastle WwTW Tertiary Treatment Appraisal
Belleek WwTW
Ballyvoy WwTW
Drumaness WwTW
Monea WwTW
Kilrea WwTW
Downpatrick WwTW
Tamlaght WwTW
Markethill WWTW feasibility
Dromore WwTW
Ballygawley WwTW
Robinsonstown WwTW
Dromara WwTW
LWWP - Belfast WwTW - Phase 1 Ancillary Work
Moy WwTW
Newry WwTW
LWWP - Whitehouse WwTW
Cabragh WwTW
Meigh WwTW
LWWP - Belfast WwTW Phase1 upgrade
Dungannon WwTW
Carrickfergus WwTW
LWWP - Greenisland WwTW
Waringstown WwTW
Loughries WwTW
Lisnaskea WwTW - Cat 5
Annsborough WwTW
Kinnegar WwTW
Clogher WwTW
Dundrum WwTW Phase 2
Ballygowan WwTW
Lough Macrory WwTW
RWwIP PC21
Newcastle WwTW Tertiary Treatment Appraisal
Garrison WwTWs
Aghanloo WwTW
Drumaness WwTW
Belleek WwTW
Culmore WwTW - Cat 5
Downpatrick WwTW
Monea WwTW
Mountfield WwTW
Dromore WwTW
Tamlaght WwTW
Pomeroy WwTW
Dromara WwTW
(iv) I continue to work with Executive colleagues to try and increase wastewater investment, I am reviewing the policy and legislation around developer contributions and I have secured Executive agreement for the Water, Flooding and Sustainable Drainage Bill to be introduced to the Assembly. This legislation will provide powers to encourage increased use of sustainable drainage systems which use nature to separate and release storm water more slowly into the system so that it does not overrun wastewater treatment works.