HC Deb 28 April 2004 vol 420 c1132W
Mr. Beggs

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the state of Northern Ireland's water and sewage pipe infrastructure. [168192]

Mr. Spellar

The Chief Executive of Water Service (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.

Letter from Mrs. Katharine Bryan to Mr. Roy Beggs, dated 26 April 2004:

You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question (168192) about the state of Northern Ireland's water and sewage pipe infrastructure. I have been asked to reply as Chief Executive of the Water Service.

Water Service recently completed a comprehensive Asset Management Plan that identified the investment needs for all water and sewerage assets over a twenty year period. This required an assessment of the performance of the current assets and future performance requirements to meet more stringent and demanding statutory obligations and standards of service. The Plan concluded that some £3 billion was required to improve the water and sewerage infrastructure over the 20 year period and approximately half of this was required to upgrade watermains and sewers.

The conclusion of the Asset Management Plan demonstrates that the overall condition of the water and sewerage infrastructure is not satisfactory. To address this Water Service is investing £590 million over the three year period to 2006 on water and sewage infrastructure as part of its programme to comply with EU directives, protect the environment and deliver customer service improvements. In addition, a substantial Public Private Partnership programme, involving a number of large wastewater and water treatment works valued at £269 million, is also being taken forward.

A series of discrete watermain and sewerage networks rehabilitation studies are currently on-going to identify specific capital investment requirements to achieve compliance with EU directives and provide for existing and future demand for services. This approach will enable Water Service to target current and future capital investment on watermains and sewers to areas of greatest need, thereby attaining best value for money.