Dr. Michelle Minihan:

Regarding remedial action, we set out our priorities for Irish Water. We have clearly identified them and they have not changed in the years since Irish Water was formed and began operating. These are around prioritising supplies on the remedial action list so they can be upgraded and safeguarded for the future. Our remedial action list now has 57 supplies on it. If we take it that there are 750 water treatment plants, then we are trying to focus on where the greatest risks are to ensure that drinking water quality is protected. We recognise that we cannot invest in everything right now. We must prioritise the risks and where we are investing to address such risks, and this is where the remedial action list came from. These are the places where we needed to prioritise the risks because of the cryptosporidium outbreak in Galway almost 15 years ago. This is what we have tried to do.

We have communicated these priorities to Irish Water. We have also tracked them to ensure the company delivers against the dates it has communicated to us regarding when improvements will be delivered. I am trying to contextualise how we prioritise, how we communicate our priorities to Irish Water concerning drinking water quality and how we safeguard our water supplies for the future and ensure their resilience. I refer to ensuring our supplies are not just safe today but in future as well. Dr. Ryan spoke about the current high levels of bacterial and microbiological compliance and it must be ensured this is safeguarded for the decades to come.