Anne Ferris (Wicklow, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Whatever the extent of our water problems in Ireland, it is important to remember that they are of a different scale from the daily struggle facing the part of the world which has no access to clean water. We are lucky in Ireland that access to clean drinking water is, in general and in most situations, taken for granted. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1 billion people have no access to any type of clean drinking water. Nelson Mandela, whom we remembered with such respect a week ago, rightly placed water and work together as pillars of human life in his often-quoted statement, "Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all".

At the root of the legislation before us is a desire to ensure access to safe and clean drinking water for all citizens at all times directly from the household tap. It is also, to return to Nelson Mandela's quote, about creating and maintaining jobs in the water services sector and in the industries and businesses dependent on a secure and safe supply of water, including hotels, restaurants, bars, garages, laundries and hairdressing shops.

At present we have a water service which is unequal. In parts of Ireland we have a service that cannot always be guaranteed to be plentiful or pure enough for human consumption without boiling. Deputy Naughten mentioned his area. In my constituency of Wicklow, no less than six water schemes have been the subject of boil-water notices for the past three months or longer, including Stranakelly and Mullans North, which are near Tinahely; Ballysallagh, near Hacketstown; Roscath; and Johnstown South and Kilbride, which are in Arklow.

In case anyone is under the illusion that a boil-water notice is an invitation to put on the kettle, it is worth considering some of the onerous contents of the boil-water notices imposed on communities throughout Ireland. Householders under a boil notice must boil all water before cooling for consumption, including for drinking, preparing salads, brushing teeth, sterilising babies' bottles and making baby feeds. They are advised not to use a dishwasher as it will not heat the water sufficiently to kill the contaminating bacteria in the polluted water. Some parts of Ireland have been under boil-water notices for several years.

Some people in Ireland do not have a secure supply of water of any quality. We had a flavour of this on the east coast for more than a week in early November when rivers and groundwater were at their highest and water should have been in plentiful supply, but the citizens of Dublin had limited access to water. Water supplies in County Wicklow were also affected that week because of the ridiculous situation whereby Wicklow pays Dublin for a water supply to the north of the county even though Wicklow directly services Dublin with 15% of its water via the Roundwood reservoir and up to 40% of its water via the Liffey with no financial gain to County Wicklow. When Dublin is without a water supply, the supply to north Wicklow is also at risk.

For one reason or another Dublin has been without an adequate water supply on too many occasions in recent years. A European capital city in a climate such as ours should not suffer from a lack of water in the 21st century. Neither should it be the case that people in some Irish communities receive polluted water to their taps. There is a problem of water supply and water inequality in the country which can no longer be ignored and must be addressed in a uniform and focused manner which can only come from a single management structure.

I want to send a strong note of caution about the operation of Irish Water. Under no circumstances should it ever be assumed that in voting on this legislation Members of the Dáil have given a free pass to Irish Water to pass on costs to the consumer. In this regard I welcome the oversight role of the Commission for Energy Regulation and the need for the regulator to approve any schemes of charging for water. I ask the Minister of State to give strong consideration to instructing the regulator to exempt from any charge people with restricted or low-quality water supply. The people of Wicklow should be allowed to use their own low-cost Roundwood water rather than be involved in any elaborate plan to bring water to Dublin from the River Shannon. It is critical for the Minister and the Department to exercise their oversight role with regard to internal costs incurred by the new Irish Water entity. Oscar Wilde, who drank a lot of Wicklow water in his time, commented that the British turned their wine into water.

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