Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following:-

- recognises the difficulties for families and businesses caused by the recent water supply disruptions;

- acknowledges the extensive efforts by county and city councils to prepare for potential water supply disruptions caused by recent extreme weather conditions, to minimise disruptions for households and businesses and to make alternative supplies available where necessary, and to restore water supplies as quickly as possible;

- recognises the importance of the work already carried out by the councils, and funded by the Exchequer, to develop water management systems and active leakage controls in identifying and repairing leaks;

- notes the comprehensive review of the water services investment programme completed in 2010 which:

- provides for ongoing major investment in water services in the 2010-2012 period, with €495 million spent in 2010 and €435 million provided for 2011;

- accords the highest priority to investment in water conservation to address the unacceptably high levels of leakage in water supply systems;

- includes contracts to the value of €320 million to commence on water conservation projects, including mains rehabilitation, in that period, which is more than double the investment in water conservation compared to the preceding seven years;

- notes the proposals in the national recovery plan published in November:

- to commence a programme of domestic metering to be funded by the National Pensions Reserve Fund and establish an independent regulator for the water sector;

- notes the Government's intention shortly to commence an assessment of the need for a national water authority which will consider, inter alia, the role of such an authority, the costs and benefits of establishing it and its relationship with other actors in the sector including local authorities.

As someone who was born, bred and reared in the country, I remember well having an extension built to my family's house during the late 1950s. One of the conditions of the contract was that there would be water on-site and this was provided by my late mother and me. We were obliged to carry the water over a stile, across a road, down a hill and back up another hill with four buckets and so I greatly appreciate a water service.

Everyone will appreciate that this December witnessed some of the lowest day and night-time temperatures ever recorded in Ireland. While water pipes are prone to bursting and leaking in winter conditions, the particular severity of this winter's event led to widespread disruption to supplies from the public mains and from individual sources. Ireland has a diverse water supply system with more than 952 public supplies producing approximately 1,600 million litres of water daily through a network of 25,000 km of pipes. The extent and complexity of this network presents certain challenges, to say the least, in a period of severe weather but Ireland is not unique in this regard as many other jurisdictions are affected in a similar manner.

It is important to recognise the extensive efforts by county and city councils to prepare for potential water supply disruptions, to make alternative supplies available where necessary and to restore water supplies as quickly as possible. No words of mine can compliment local authority workers enough for the service they gave in highly adverse conditions at unsocial times. I wish to put on record my deep appreciation of their service and I am sure this view would be reflected throughout this Chamber. Local authorities put in place contingency arrangements before Christmas in the light of the anticipated thaw. Local authorities actively managed the situation throughout the period of severe weather and mobilised crews over the Christmas period to respond as quickly as possible to the problems that emerged. Given the 25,000 km of public network, however, the detection and repair of leaks is a challenging task.

While I may disagree with my colleagues on the other side of the House on a number of fronts, I agree that certain developers did an extremely shabby job in the provision of public services as part of their planning. Certainly, the water network they provided in certain circumstances leaves a great deal to be desired. The extent of burst water mains places a particular focus on the vulnerability of the Irish water distribution system, particularly on the age of the water distribution system as well as the historic under-investment in it.

We are making strides in dealing with these matters. In recent years the focus of the Government has been on improving water supply to meet population and economic needs. Under the water services investment programme €1 billion was spent on water supply infrastructure between 2000 and 2009, which is not a small sum by any standards. Some €4.6 billion in Exchequer resources has been invested between 2000 and 2009 in all forms of water services infrastructure. This has resulted in the completion of 476 major projects and an increase in water treatment capacity equivalent to the needs of a population of 1.1 million.

There are 120 water services capital contracts in progress which will continue to be funded in 2011. As the Minister has outlined on more than one occasion, we are giving the highest priority to investment in water conservation to address the unacceptably high levels of leakage in our water supply systems. The water services investment programme 2010-12 was published in April 2010 and sets out an expanded investment in critical terms relating to rehabilitation, with contracts worth in excess of €300 million set to commence over the period of the programme. The money will be spent on water conservation projects including mains rehabilitation, which is double the investment in water conservation over the preceding seven years. When we talk about water use we should amend it to state "water abuse". It is ironic that many users are abusing the water supply. It is anticipated that savings of up to 10% in unaccounted-for water can be obtained by 2016 if investment is sustained. It has to be sustained if this level of improvement is to be achieved.

The Government will invest €435 million in water services in 2011. This will allow for the progression of priority contracts for expansion of supply or the improvement of security of supply. As a result of its efforts, the Government has seen a much more competitive tendering process in the past two years which has resulted in significant savings in the tender prices for water and waste water schemes, meaning we are now achieving more with less money, which is to be appreciated given the tough times we are in. This level of investment for 2011 makes clear the priority which this Government attaches to protecting and improving water services.

To fund our water infrastructure in the years ahead the Government decided to introduce domestic water charges for households over the next four years. It will be preceded by the roll-out of water meters. This measure alone will do much to conserve water. In such circumstances water would be used rather than abused because when one has a service for which one has to pay, one is very conscious that the less one uses, the less one has to pay.

The national recovery plan states our plans for the metering programme will be funded from the National Pensions Reserve Fund. The installation of water meters will strengthen the capacity of local authorities to manage their water distribution networks, lead to greater incentives for households to conserve water rather than consume as much, and provide the necessary additional funding to improve the network.. Water metering will undoubtedly lead to a radical transformation in the way people use water. It will provide value for money for consumers and also provide a customer service focus in the management and provision of water services.

We have heard comments from the Opposition. Fine Gael's proposal for the setting up of water utility company and a new utilities commission to merge existing regulators for utilities has the hallmarks of a plan to begin to privatise water services and follow the path used in the United Kingdom. If implemented, its proposals would almost certainly prepare our water and waste water services from privatisation. To date, it has tried to slip its proposals for a water utility company and utilities commission under the radar by providing very little detail on what its plans would be. If this plan were to go ahead, it would need to verify the status of the new single water utility company. It has not addressed the issue of job losses. I wonder what the Labour Party would think of that. I could go on and on.