Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State and wish him well. He took us by surprise with his recent announcement. Members of this House have always known him to be a decent and honourable man. I wish him very well and I admire him for his decency.

As previous speakers indicated, this is an important motion. There is no doubt that the pipes by means of which water is supplied to homes, businesses etc., were not laid a sufficient depth below ground. As with other things in society at present, the existing water system is not fit for purpose and must be the subject of major remedial works. We all empathise with those in many different parts of the country who suffered so much as a result of what happened following the recent thaw. The water restrictions that were imposed gave rise to severe hardship on the part of many people. One would have thought that what occurred recently would be completely unacceptable in the modern age. Families and businesses suffered greatly.

We have an outdated and fragmented water network and it is obvious that the system of pipes which obtains is inadequate. It is scandalous that, on average, 43% of Ireland's drinking water is lost through unidentified leaks. One would have thought that with the engineering expertise available, there would not continue to be such a huge number of unidentified leaks. I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's views on that matter, particularly in the context of the position which applies in each of the local authority areas.

Water is one of the most important resources at our disposal. We cannot live without it. Water is of the utmost importance in so many different ways to both human beings and animals. It is necessary for washing, cleaning etc. Unless it proves possible at some point to obtain it directly from the sky in treated form, it is obvious that water will never come free of charge. There are major costs associated with treating water and piping it into people's homes. As already stated, the system of pipes used for delivering water supplies to people's homes and businesses is completely inadequate.

I accept that everyone is opposed to quangos and that there is a need to reduce the number of such bodies. However, in a small country such as Ireland the multiplicity of local authorities cannot be left with responsibility for managing water supplies. There is a need for a water utility company or whatever to be given overall responsibility for water. The management of water must be centralised. We can use the expertise that is available to the various councils, but an overall management strategy must be put in place. At the heart of this motion is the fact that the management of water on a national basis is of the utmost importance.

Those are the major points I wish to make. I urge the Minister of State and the Senators opposite to accept the motion as it stands. The amendment recognises the difficulties alluded to in the motion and, therefore, I do not understand where the difference lies between the two. Perhaps our friends opposite will indicate whether they are prepared to accept the motion as drafted.