Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I appreciate that. I do not want to put Ms O'Dwyer on the spot, but I would appreciate it if she could send me a note on Drogheda.

It is heartening to hear Ms O'Dwyer say Irish Water has a good relationship with the local authorities and it works with them. A relationship is needed with developers as well to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to support the delivery of much-needed homes. Like some of my colleagues who spoke before me said, we have already met difficulties in regard to some of the development that has been delivered recently. I refer to Beaulieu Banks on the Termonfeckin Road, which is the most recent one. New homeowners were held up for a number of months recently as they tried to get connections. These houses are badly needed in the middle of a massive housing crisis. It can be very difficult. As elected representatives, we are the first point of contact. We go to the local authority, which tell us they are impressing on Irish Water the volume of applications that are in the system. The developers have not mentioned the developer liaison teams Irish Water referenced. They are telling us they cannot get answers. There is a huge difficulty already. I have major concerns that with 5,000 houses and a potential population growth of 20,000 people coming in the next five years, we will meet more difficulties.

I also have huge concerns about capacity. As a councillor in 2018, I visited the Stalleen water treatment plant when the new pipeline was being delivered. At that stage, we got a figure of the export rate being 30,000 cu. m of water being delivered a day in Stalleen at that time. The new pipeline was not going to deliver much more than that. It was going to improve efficiency, but it was not going to increase capacity. Seven years later, we already have 2,000-plus new houses added on to the capacity requirement, with another 4,000 to 5,000 to come over the next few years. I and every other elected representative in Drogheda, be it a councillor or TD, past or present, have major concerns about capacity. Any information and, in particular, reassurance that Irish Water could give would be appreciated. The witnesses could also highlight areas that we could help them with, as we are not just here to criticise. We are a point of contact, not just for the people who live in the area but for developers as well.

We are relying on all these houses to deliver much-needed community infrastructure and sporting amenities such as new football stadiums and municipal pitches. There is a new IDA park coming in and we hope to attract FDI companies. Everything hinges on utilities. It is not just Uisce Éireann, because we also have difficulties with the ESB, which I am sure the witnesses can appreciate. There is a real fear that all of this will hamper the growth of the town and the infrastructure that is needed to support it.