Margaret Conlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to make a brief contribution to this debate. Like others, I pay tribute to the men and women employed by local authorities who worked tirelessly during the recent cold spell. They did so not alone to ensure we had water in our homes but to ensure the roads were safe for travel. They were looking forward to having time off and spending it with their families over Christmas but they put that to one side and went out to ensure we could enjoy Christmas.

We do not appreciate and realise the importance of water as a resource until we face disruption to the service and the consequences of the disruption to businesses, the farming community and households. The simplest of tasks become so difficult when the water supply is disrupted. I also compliment people in local communities. Great committee spirit was shown during the harsh weather. People went to great lengths to ensure their neighbours, particularly elderly neighbours, had water and were looked after. In my county, hotels provided showering facilities to people and the leisure complex in Monaghan offered free showers. That is the kind of community spirit we need to see in times like this.

When the weather conditions changed and the rapid thaw took place, it brought major difficulties for many people as pipes burst. Many businesses and houses continue to face major challenges and difficulties as a result. It is unfortunate that local authorities had to restrict supply. What other option did they have? The sources of the leaks had to be identified and repaired and this was done quite quickly in the majority of cases. One of the most notable difficulties was where properties were unattended as people went on holidays and businesses were closed for the Christmas period. When people came back after the holidays they found the properties in a dreadful state. Local authorities are to be commended for making every effort to ensure tankers were brought to places to ensure families had access to water. When the reservoirs became dangerously low, supply had to be restricted until they were replenished.

We will face weather conditions like this in the future and we learned valuable lessons from 2009. Following the recent spell of bad weather there will be lessons to be learned and we need to review contingency plans that were in place. Where there were deficiencies, work must be done to ensure they are not repeated. I welcome the comments of the Minister in respect of this.

There has been significant investment in our water infrastructure and we need to examine how we use water. Leaks must be identified and addressed. As the Minister of State, Deputy Martin Mansergh stated, we must face the reality that water must be paid for. How many of us waste water without realising it? Do people leave the tap running while washing their teeth? Do people fill the kettle when they want to have a cup of tea? People must examine how they use water in their daily lives. Installing water meters will encourage people to conserve water and to be mindful of how they use it.

The Government has a duty to continue to invest in water services. We must ensure our water quality is of a high standard, that we have capacity to ensure businesses and households can function and that we continue to conserve water and minimise losses. There is no comparison between how we handled the situation and our northern counterparts. We are streets ahead. They had major difficulties and were forced to depend on water from other areas. We did very well in difficult circumstances. We suffered like other countries facing challenges. People in Australia have too much water while we did not have enough. God help them in their difficulties. We are not alone. Like other countries, we faced severe weather conditions and in preparing for next winter we will have learned valuable lessons from our experience. We will be better prepared for what will face us.

See this speech in context