Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome Mr. Coskeran. I can hear a number of mixed emotions in his statement. My background before politics was in construction and I was involved in roads, sewerage, the whole lot. I know exactly where he is coming from. I cannot understand that he has struggled for so many years. It is not that it is a 200-house estate; it is five homes. Mr. Coskeran has done as he said in the memorandum of understanding and has ticked all his boxes. Is the treatment plant submersible pumps or does it need to be pumped out at a cost?

Mr. Coskeran ticked all his boxes and brought his estate up to where it should be. I cannot understand why the council is using Irish Water as an excuse because basically Irish Water and the council are the one entity anyway, but probably with too many people in top management. Mr. Coskeran mentioned water meters. Is the estate private still because it is not taken in charge or have they just accepted willy-nilly that they can do what they want?

Mr. Coskeran is right. This committee is probably one of the last committees in this House that shows that there should be and there is a proper democracy here that helps its citizens. I could hear from his tone that he is saying he has done his part of the bargain and he wants the local authority to do its part and take the estate in charge. Why is it so difficult for the local authority to give a straightforward answer? As he said, even if it was capacity issues, capacity issues change over years. I accept that. However, the capacity issues in Mr. Coskeran's five houses should not be their stumbling block for the estate to be connected either to the additional sewer, a new line or wherever it is going.

I hear his frustration. I hope that by his coming here today to the committee it can be resolved. I have no questions to ask Mr. Coskeran. I wish I could tell him that everything will be fine after today. If we need to ask someone from Tipperary County Council to come in and explain why it has not been taken in charge and try to get answers, we will do it. I thank Mr. Coskeran for his honesty and patience. I can hear considerable anger and bitterness from him. There has been an injustice here over red tape and I think it is wrong.