Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to say a few words on this very important issue. The public water supply is one of the most important issues with which any Government must deal. The recent frost, which was unusually severe, has proven beyond question that our completely outdated water system right across the country is not suitable or practical for the present generation.

A new problem arises in that local authorities, which depended upon funding from developers to pay the local authority contribution towards replacing structures within local authority areas, no longer have that funding available because no developments are taking place. Some years ago Fine Gael recognised the problem and came up with an independent solution under its NewERA strategy, which proposes to establish a new public water utility company to take over responsibility for water management and investment. The new company will be responsible for investing in the water network through new fund-raising means and will help take the burden off the taxpayer. It is impossible to believe that, after so many years of the Celtic tiger, so little has been done to replace the water infrastructure, other than by putting further pressure on an outdated system on foot of the massive amount of housing development.

The Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government has stood over a system in which at least 43% of all drinking water is lost through leaks. This occurs in normal circumstances, never mind the circumstances that obtained during the recent spell of cold weather. Radical change is needed urgently. The lack of proper water infrastructure is holding back the economy, costing a fortune and leading nowhere.

The Fine Gael NewERA programme, when implemented, will guarantee revolution within the system, create jobs for the many unemployed and, in the longer term, provide major savings. The Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government has committed the country to an EU framework that will make us liable for serious fines if the required work is not carried out and a quality water supply is not produced by 2016. The IMF has made it clear that this is an issue that must be acted upon. It supports proposals of the type advocated by Fine Gael in its NewERA strategy. This is the way forward. Any new structure set up must be answerable to the Dáil through the Minister. It must not be an independent quango, such as the NRA or HSE.

My constituency of Cavan-Monaghan has a proud record of providing water of good quality through group water schemes in rural areas. Considerable funding was made available for the head works on those schemes. That they are now mostly under contract to one company is a major mistake. People have been bound into paying unjustifiably high prices. This structure has been condemned by a County Monaghan group. People were assured that, if they did not join the bundle, they would be allowed to get the normal grants. However, that did not occur. I am ashamed to have been a Member of the Dáil when that assurance was not followed through. The Minister, Deputy Gormley, did not even answer the letters I wrote to him on this issue. People did not get grants, yet they produce water for approximately €1 per thousand gallons as opposed to the €6 of other schemes. Major questions must be asked about the cost of water.

I will follow up on Deputy McHugh's comments. There is much discussion about climate change and the need to sort it out, but we can save a great deal of water at factory, office and school levels by harvesting rainwater from roofs for use in toilet systems and so on. Providing good, clean, quality water for such systems is a waste of time and money.

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