Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief because I know people have been waiting some time to ask their questions. With regard to pipe replacement, I ask Irish Water to work with the Government in the context of providing homeowners with either a one-off grant or a save-as-you-pay scheme. While experienced contractors are on site, we should use economies of scale to see whether it is possible to achieve this type of replacement.

The rate of water leakage throughout the country is 41% and is almost as high as 60% in certain areas. Will Irish Water or the regulator set targets in respect of leakage reduction and water main replacement? Even when money was available during the past 20 years, a water main replacement programme was not put in place. Who will have responsibility for setting the targets to which I refer?

Will there be co-operation with suppliers in the case of rural towns and certain parts of cities? For example, will it be possible for replacement of water mains to be combined with the installation of broadband cable? I am not sure how the company intends to operate the meters. How will apartment blocks be metered? Many terraced houses work on dual supply. Will offers be available in order to break that dual supply?

The committee is anxious that Irish Water would be included under freedom of information legislation and that this committee and the Comptroller and Auditor General would have an oversight role. Mr. Mullins referred to his experience in England where consumers are represented. We touched on this in our report and we used the example of Scottish Water. I ask Mr. Mullins to comment in this regard.

I refer to the supply of water for the eastern region. I note the welcome announcement by Kerry Group of a new facility in County Kildare. This will be a substantial development. The greater Dublin area supports substantial industry and it is predicted there will be an additional demand of 87 million litres of water in the near future. There is not sufficient water produced in every five out of seven days to supply the Dublin city area and head room is being built up at the weekends. I do not get a sense of urgency. People say this is a Dublin issue but I disagree. It affects Dundalk and Louth, Arklow and Mullingar and it is a regional problem in that sense. Any additional water supply will require a four to six-year lead-in time. I would like to note a greater sense of urgency about dealing with the issue of water supply for the eastern region. A sustainable and copious supply of water is one of the top five indicators for attracting foreign direct investment. This is particularly the case with regard to the food, pharmaceutical and electronic industries. If we need to stay in that market we need to prove that Irish Water and the State are willing to provide a water supply where it is needed. For example, Ireland's main competitor for a company such as Intel is Israel and our competitive advantage is that we have water. We need Irish Water to treat this matter urgently. I hope the delegates can reassure us that the water can be supplied and that they will deal with this matter in a business-like and urgent manner and within a certain timeframe.