To ask the Minister for Infrastructure for an assessment of wastewater capacity in North Antrim.

Ms Kimmins (The Minister for Infrastructure)

During 2024-25, NI Water invested £1·8 million at Grange waste water treatment works in North Antrim. The Grange waste water treatment works is located to the south of Taylorstown village, and construction is due to be completed in May 2025. The Grange waste water treatment works upgrade builds on the £1·1 million sewer network improvements that NI Water completed earlier in price control (PC) 21. However, the fact remains that there are several waste water treatment works in North Antrim that have no available capacity for development. Those are the waste water treatment works at Armoy Bush, Dervock, Mosside Ballymoney and Stranocum. Capacity issues have also been identified in parts of the waste water network in Ballycastle, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Bushmills, Portglenone and Rasharkin. Unfortunately, that may lead to negative planning responses for developments in those areas. However, each application will be assessed individually depending on the location and level of capacity constraints in the area. Where possible, NI Water will work with developers to identify solutions. I will continue to work with Executive colleagues to secure funding for the capital investment programme through 2024-27.

Ms Kimmins

I appreciate the issues that the Member has raised about rural communities. It is important. I engage with NI Water frequently on all the issues. The approach that I outlined and that I am taking on the whole is to look specifically at unlocking capacity where we can at the earliest possible stage. Bearing that in mind, specific work on rural communities needs to happen, and I am committed to working on that with all parties to address the issue.

Mr Speaker

I remind Members, before I call them, that supplementary questions are to be relevant to the initial question.

Mr McAleer

Minister, will you elaborate on what your Department is doing to address waste water capacity issues?

Ms Kimmins

As I outlined, I continue to build on the three-pronged approach that is already in place. That includes working with Executive colleagues to increase investment in waste water; exploring the options for developer contributions with the consultation that launched last Friday; and introducing a water, flooding and sustainable drainage Bill to the Assembly. My Department has provided NI Water with £500 million this year to enable it to deliver essential water and sewerage systems. NI Water has advised that 18,500 properties can be connected, if developers design, fund and construct alternative solutions such as storm water offsetting, and a further 19,000 properties require NI Water capital upgrades. If NI Water's price control 21 investment plan were fully funded, connections would have been limited to 4,500 of those 19,000.

Mr Dunne

The Minister will be aware of the impact on the greater waste water capacity issues that pausing certain aspects of the Living with Water programme has had and will have, including in my constituency at the Kinnegar waste water treatment works. Will the Minister outline any update on prioritising action on the general issue of waste water capacity?

Ms Kimmins

As the Member will know, we have had discussions in the Chamber on that matter since I came into post. Again, my officials and I have been engaging with NI Water as frequently as we can to try to move it forward. There have been challenges, and it will continue to move at a much slower pace than we would like. However, by going back to the overall approach of trying to increase the investment to enable those upgrades and the work to happen, my priority and focus are on bringing in the funding that is needed to deliver on all those issues.

Mr McGrath

Will the Minister update us on how many times her Department has used enforcement powers against NI Water over the past year to ensure that it complies with its legal obligations, including those relating to water quality?

Ms Kimmins

Water quality is an issue for the NIEA. I do not have the exact figures on enforcement in front of me, but I am happy to come back to the Member on that in writing to make sure that we have the most accurate figures.