AQW 24609/22-27

Mr Danny Donnelly
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 19/03/2025
Answered On Date: 04/04/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure, in light of the suspension of the Living With Water Programme and the current status of a significant proportion of Combined Sewer Overflows, to detail her (i) long-term; and (ii) immediate plans to address the issue of sewage pollution entering Belfast Lough and across the wider marine environment.

Answer:

With the costs of the NI Water elements of the Plan increasing by over 50% within 2 years of publication it will take longer than the 12 years originally estimated.

An Affordability Review of the Belfast Plan confirmed that the wastewater projects in it, will now be taken forward by NI Water at a pace and scale achievable within allocated budgets. NI Water has subsequently advised that delivery of the upgrades to the major wastewater treatment works around Belfast Lough, have now been paused. Instead, NI Water will focus on additional maintenance to ensure these assets can continue to operate in the short term, until such times as budget is available to undertake more substantial upgrades.

It was always accepted that additional funding would be required to deliver all aspects of the Belfast Plan. In the New Decade New Approach agreement, Living With Water was identified as a beneficiary of increased funding, but this has not been provided to date by the British government. In this financial year, I have provided NI Water with c£0.5billion funding, however, I will continue to make the case for additional funding for water and wastewater services. I remain committed to achieving the objectives of the Belfast Plan to develop and implement integrated drainage solutions, including blue / green infrastructure.

I will continue to follow my three-pronged approach to secure more investment for wastewater infrastructure, to explore developer contributions and to bring in legislation for sustainable urban drainage.