Mr. Jerry Grant:

The water quality issues being experienced in Roscommon reflect that many of the water supply systems were originally developed from groundwater schemes, partly reflecting that these are very good quality water sources in most cases. However, in situations of high run-off in winter conditions, they are prone to bacterial and microbiological infection. The necessary barriers were not put in when the schemes were installed and therefore they are wide open in that situation.

In a general sense Irish Water is absolutely committed to what are known as water safety plans for every water scheme in the country. Water safety plans start with the source and finish at the tap. That means policing the sources in order to minimise the risk of degradation of drinking water, then providing a minimum level of barrier within the treatment or production part of the cycle and then following it through in distribution so that the reservoirs, pipelines and so on do not allow for recontamination.

I fully acknowledge that a number of schemes are on the books and ready to be started by Roscommon County Council. These are proceeding and obviously the Boyle scheme is well in hand. The Kileglin plant is also about to start or has started on site. We are absolutely committed to getting people who are on current boil notices off them in the shortest possible time. We will do that by putting in appropriate treatment. In the case of the Kileglin plant we are working with the contractor to try to accelerate the programme on that. We are now looking as a matter of urgency to see how we can get a plant as quickly as possible into Castlerea because that situation is as unacceptable to us as it is to the Deputy.