Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The water shortages in the capital city over the past ten days are a damning indictment of the Government's water policy. A reliable consistent supply of water to both domestic and industrial users across the country's biggest city is a vital part of a fully functioning economy. Businesses and residents across Dublin have suffered severely from the dramatic impact of 12-hour long water shortages. We are faced with the perverse situation where businesses, which pay high water rates for their supply, have endured damaging cutbacks which have impacted significantly on their revenue. All the while, ordinary residents, who are facing new water bills from 2014, are left to cope with an overstretched supply.

I have consistently called for a comprehensive national audit of the water infrastructure in Ireland. Instead, the Minister has put the cart before the horse. He has ploughed on with establishing Irish Water, allowing for glossy expensive advertisements on newspapers and television, glorifying the corporate identity of Irish Water and, most important, with a system of water charges which, as I stated, is set to be imposed at the end of next year.

This policy has been further compounded by the refusal to subject Irish Water to the Freedom of information Bill. Without even the detail as to why Bord Gáis was picked over and above Bord na Móna in the first instance, we are establishing an unprecedented quango, without oversight or transparency.

Dublin needs the security of an adequate water supply and a reserve that is capable of facilitating the strains placed on it by the abnormal summer we had. The key questions, that the Minister needs to answer, instead of a response that is bluster about Irish Water, are what specific steps are being taking to ensure Dublin has a sufficient water reserve and sufficient water supply to bear the weight of future strains put on that supply. The residents and businesses of Dublin need a water supply that delivers, not a misguided quango. I look forward to the Minister's response on this issue.

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