NI Water funding model fit for purpose, says minister

The existent backing exemplary for Northern Ireland Water is acceptable for purpose, the infrastructure curate has said.

Housebuilding successful Northern Ireland fell to a 60-year debased past year, partially owed to restrictions connected caller connections to an underfunded h2o system.

Plans for an estimated 19,000 homes are being held up owed to the restrictions - affecting operation successful 23 towns.

In March, a study from the NI Audit Office (NIAO) said determination should beryllium a broad adept reappraisal of however NI Water was funded and governed.

When asked by BBC's The View if the existent backing model, and the mode successful which NI Water is established is "fit for purpose", John O'Dowd replied: "Yes."

“In fairness, the audit study does not suggest it is not acceptable for purpose… what it suggests is that we look astatine alternate models,” O’Dowd said.

“All alternate models that person been brought to my attraction frankincense acold impact home h2o charges, I americium not introducing [them].”

O'Dowd told the programme that helium doesn't "recognise" figures from manufacture bodies, who person described the lodging backlog arsenic a "fiasco".

The Construction Employers Federation has criticised the Department for Infrastructure and NI Water implicit thousands of homes which cannot beryllium connected to the discarded h2o system.

It told a proceeding of Stormont's infrastructure committee that 8,500 homes are being held back, which it said is astir £1bn successful investment.

The Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) told the aforesaid committee that 1 architectural signifier had £400m of projects held up successful the system.

The organisation said that the concern with discarded h2o successful Northern Ireland was a "fiasco".

"It each depends connected however you adhd them [the lodging figures] up, oregon what look you use," O'Dowd said.

The curate highlighted the budgetary pressures of his department, which helium explained faces "significant challenges".

He added: "4,500 homes could person been connected during this terms period, and determination is the imaginable for 18,500 to beryllium connected if developer contributions are included".

O'Dowd would not beryllium drawn connected questions of circumstantial caller physique developments which are yet to beryllium connected to the discarded h2o system, and said: "You've intelligibly done a batch of probe which you could person shared with maine beforehand, you chose not to."

"You request to look astatine the readying conditions that were connected those developments earlier they commenced," helium added.

NI Water has indicated that its discarded h2o infrastructure is operating astatine afloat capacity.

In August, it said operation had been stalled successful 23 towns.

The supplier blamed underfunding, and a backlog successful indispensable upgrades and expansions is delaying caller lodging developments being connected to the existing network.

Last week, representatives from the inferior supplier warned Stormont that capableness problems would get worse without further semipermanent funding.

The infrastructure committee was told NI Water is facing a important spread successful backing - some successful the day-to-day moving of operations and connected the longer word superior side.

NI Water manager of concern Ronan Larkin said determination was a £23m backing spread betwixt what they needed to tally the work and what was available.

On the semipermanent superior spending plan, helium said determination was a £266m spread successful backing oregon a shortfall of astir 45%.

On Thursday, O'Dowd pointed to an further £31m successful funding which came from the Stormont monitoring circular earlier this month.

He said determination was inactive an estimated "£100m spread successful the budget" that helium was incapable to fill.