Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

It is hypocrisy to criticise local authorities, blame the Government, suggest setting up a new agency and then, as Deputy Ciarán Lynch stated, perhaps privatise water, with which we on this side of the House would not agree.

I want to know how, for example, group water schemes would fair under a new State agency. Group water schemes are important to the west. People pay sometimes over €2,000 per house for a water supply and such schemes would not fair well under a new agency.

Galway County Council, like other local authorities, has had serious issues to deal with following the cold weather. Lists of the costs involved are being drawn up. There were broken pipes and water had to be rationed in the county, and Galway County Council is still repairing leaks. There are serious issues in that regard for which we want funding in our county council area because of the extra costs involved.

There have been serious flooding problems in the county - there is still flooding around Gort in south Galway - and, certainly, there is a need for major repairs to roads. I would press for a generous response from the Department of Transport and the NRA. There should be flexibility in the spending of the funding provided. I understand local authorities will be able to revise the 2010 restoration improvement programme.

There has been good investment in roads in my county, most notably in the new motorway from Ballinasloe to Galway as part of the Dublin-Galway motorway. That motorway, which was opened ahead of time, was the only link we had from east Galway to Galway city and it was a good example of investing in infrastructure. It was officially opened eventually on 18 December, but it was so important when flooding prevented people from using the normal regional or county roads.

I fully support the conservation measures of which the Minister spoke. I particularly welcome the water harvesting measures. As part of pilot programmes in County Mayo, there is a school involved. In County Meath, I think there is a farm involved. It is important that we not only pursue, for example, the water harvesting measures but also tackle the high level of leakage in the water supplies of both the local authority and the private group water schemes of which I spoke.

I welcome this debate. I hope there can be more investment. The great work done by the local authorities and the voluntary work has not been recognised by the proposers of this motion in Fine Gael and that should be put on the record. There was great voluntary work done by the Civil Defence, by gardaí and by all the emergency services who worked so well during those difficult times, and particularly by the local authorities.

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