Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair and witnesses. The witnesses referred to boil notices in different areas. I am from County Limerick. I have been involved in construction all my life and I understand the process of building houses. Fedamore, County Limerick has had a boil notice for 18 months and it is going round in circles. Those 18 months have cost people in houses there between €40 and €50 to bring fresh water into the house for a family of four. That is not acceptable. That is my first question. It is on the record of the Dáil since I have already said this.

I had an open, frank meeting with Irish Water four weeks ago, relating to a site in Croom, County Limerick. The site is delivering 56 houses, a nursing home and a crèche facility. Croom recently got a €20 million new school, a primary care centre and an extension to its hospital. It is an expanding town. All that is needed to progress these 56 houses is a service agreement from Irish Water, which has been delayed for the past six months. Irish Water yesterday received €4.5 million in its account to provide the water supply that is needed from Limerick to Croom. The company stated that it will have this delivered by 2023. All I need from Irish Water is a service agreement that there will be water in Croom by 2023, which it told me at the meeting would be provided. Houses will not be built overnight. I can have 56 houses ready for 1 January 2023 and have people in them. I can have vulnerable people who want to be in nursing homes in one in 2023 and all that is required from Irish Water is a service agreement. The services are on site. The sewerage systems have been laid by the local authority and the contractors for years. They are waiting. All Irish Water has to do is a service agreement. It is holding up 56 houses, a nursing home and a crèche facility.

All I want from the first frank meeting that I have ever had with Irish Water is connectivity between Irish Water and us, and to get answers. I want answers about the service agreement for Croom and when the boil notice will be lifted, after 18 months, in Fedamore, County Limerick, and will come back in later.