Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Doyle. There is a lot more to dig into there, but I want to have a look at water issues. Another Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, report out this morning tells us that, shockingly, three Olympic-sized swimming pools of untreated raw sewage go into Ireland's water systems every day. Some of the comments made by the EPA director, Dr. Tom Ryan, indicate that, 30 years after we were due to comply with EU environmental protection standards, less than half of wastewater is being treated to the standards required. Most damningly in this big picture, and there are some small, specific pieces I want to delve into, he says Uisce Éireann should have a long-term plan for this work but does not have clear plans to prevent pollution at some of the most significantly impacted water bodies. Uisce Éireann was much feted when it came into being as the solution to these issues. Can we stand over that rate of failure in terms of our wastewater treatment?