Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the speakers for coming in and for giving us a very comprehensive overview of all the work they do. We have heard plenty so I will try to be as succinct as possible. I have a couple of questions and the witnesses can come back to me when I have gone through them, if that is okay.

In regard to the new connections, it is great to see we are at 18,000 and, on that basis, we will exceed expectations and will have 36,000 new connections, which cuts to the chase and proves that houses are being built in the country. However, there is an issue with connections. We have a new local authority estate in Longford where there was an issue with a connection, although it has since been resolved. I know of one constituent who cannot move into her new house because she has an air-to-water heating system. The clue is in the name of the heating system and she urgently needs to get a connection. I will follow up with Irish Water with the details after the meeting and we will try to resolve it rather than labouring it here. What is the average time for a new connection? Irish Water can come back to me at the end with that information. I believe the ballpark figure for a new connection fee is about €1,600 and there seems to be no discretion for an applicant. For example, I know of an applicant who has been told there is an additional charge because where he should be connecting, Irish Water cannot guarantee a good water supply. He would say that is not his issue and that it is Irish Water's issue. I would like an answer on that point as well.

I have a question for Mr. Cuddy on the Lough Forbes upgrade in Longford town, which seems to be going on an inordinate length of time and there was a boil water notice there. Will Mr. Cuddy update us on what has been spent on that to date and whether there is a finish line in sight?

I want to raise a couple of issues in regard to wastewater, which we may not get through fully today due to time constraints, so I will follow up with Irish Water after the meeting. Edgeworthstown and Ballymahon are among the four principal towns outside Longford town and both are at maximum capacity for wastewater at the moment. I am well aware of the eight-workshop process in regard to trying to get a new plant in place. I understand Ballymahon has completed the second workshop but, although I am not sure of this, the work at Edgeworthstown appears to have been stalled. There has to be some degree of foresight within Uisce Éireann so that, when towns are at maximum capacity, the process is expedited. This is especially the case at Ballymahon, where we have seen Center Parcs announce an ambitious expansion of 96 new units last week. I would be interested to hear the response on that.

With regard to small issues, for Lisbrack Downs in Longford town we were advised early last year that a consultant was being appointed to look at a new pumping station for that estate to connect it to the nearby treatment plant on the basis there was an admission that the pumping station was not working. It seems to have gone off the boil. I know of a couple of exasperated residents who are besieged with waste matter in their gardens every time it rains. Radharc na Coille and Woodlands are two small housing estates and I do not expect the witnesses to know them off the top of their heads, or they will shock me with their knowledge of Longford. To cut a long story short, Radharc na Coille is a new development of six houses that were all purchased post the arrival of Irish Water. There was a developer plant in situso, obviously, Irish Water has not taken that in charge. Down the road, Woodlands was completed before Irish Water's time so the council took it in charge, but Irish Water is sending a tanker at least once every two weeks to empty out that plant because it is not working. The population there is not big enough to come under the new scheme, but surely some degree of credence must be given to the fact it is simply not working.

On the group water schemes that were anticipated to be taken in charge, can we see a ramping up on that, specifically the Forgney group water scheme in Longford town?