Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The issue of water was topical last week and into this week here in the capital city because many did not have it throughout the day. The population is the greatest concern, but it was unfortunate that we did not have water coming out of taps during the week of the web summit when we were showing how far advanced we were from a technological point of view. Water is important, both for households and jobs.

Earlier this week the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, stated that it was a matter of poor communication but I fail to see his point. The capacity, in terms of what was coming through the pipe system, was not there. No matter what way one communicates that, communication will not put water in the taps.

The solution on which I will focus is the water project by Bord na Móna, the Shannon Garryhinch-Dublin water project. That project, together with the issue of water conservation, is the key issue here.

There will be a considerable amount of funding spent on the significant programme under way to put meters in place. If one compares the Dublin households with similar comparable households in Wales, the figures shows that they use almost the same amount of water despite the fact that Dublin households were not metered and the ones in Wales were.

The Garryhinch project is a ready-to-go project. Bord na Móna is anxious to proceed with it. If it is done, I am told it will be good for 100 years. It would be in State ownership, under democratic control of the State in a good semi-State company. It is needed for foreign direct investment in the midlands and eastern counties and it would be a significant job creator in counties Laois and Offaly, creating 150 long-term jobs and 1,000 jobs in construction. It is a real winner and I would ask the Minister to seriously look at it.

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