To ask the Minister for Infrastructure for her assessment of the impact arising from only £1.5million being received from October 2021 Monitoring Round bids for NI Water.

At the October monitoring round, NI Water pressures of £18.2m resulting from increasing energy costs were unable to be funded. Following submission of bids for October monitoring, energy costs have continued to rise resulting in a further £5m increase forecast for this financial year for water and waste water.

With just over 4 months of the financial year remaining, it is clear that this level of pressure cannot be absorbed without serious consequences and major impacts. My officials are currently undertaking a rigorous contingency planning exercise to identify options to address the inescapable pressures that remain across the Department. Unless additional funding becomes available, though, it is inevitable that service reductions will be required and the greatest impact is most likely to be seen in wastewater treatment, creating possible pollution and environmental impacts.

While my Department and NI Water will take every possible step to protect drinking water provision, loss of service cannot be ruled out, for example, in supply restrictions, interruptions, and possibly drinking water quality at the tap.