Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Just on that point, people have given up and stopped ringing in because it takes too long for them to phone in and get a response and a reference number. People have got two, three, four, five and six reference numbers and they have given up ringing Uisce Éireann because they do not believe they are being taken seriously. I highlight this point in the context of it being said that the number of people putting in complaints has reduced. What would we do if we were phoning someone for two years to say our water was dirty? A definition of madness is doing the same thing and expecting things to change.

People in some parts of my constituency have been phoning Irish Water for more than two years and their water is still dirty. Another point to note is that the tanks in people's attics, for hot and cold water in their bathrooms, toilets and boiler systems, are all full. This is the case in my house. I invite Ms Attridge to come down to the city or to go on social media and see the situation. There is a well-known drink in Cork called Tanora. For anyone who does not understand what this is, it is like red lemonade. It is nearly the colour of blood and this is the colour of the water. I brought a sample in with me of the water Uisce Éireann is telling people to drink. It is not fit for human consumption in my view. At least if water is black, people know not to drink it. I do not believe, therefore, that the reduction in the number of complaints being received is due to the service getting better. I believe, instead, that people have given up.