Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am somewhat amused at the previous contributions, particularly that of Deputy Mattie McGrath, who spoke at length about the current failings of our water supply services around the country. That is not the fault of Irish Water but of the current administrative structure we have for delivering water through local authorities. I would be the first to accept that local authorities are in a rather invidious position. Because of their under-funding over a long period of time they have had all the blame and none of the gain. They do not control their own destiny in terms of putting in place proper financing for critical infrastructure. The irony is entirely lost on Deputy Mattie McGrath who railed against control in the area of septic tanks. Many of the boil notices are because of faecal contamination around the country. One of the reasons for faecal contamination is because of the proximity of sources to septic tanks that are not functioning properly. Deputy Mattie McGrath cannot have it both ways.

There are legitimate issues about boil notices and liability for charges. We cannot charge for a product that is not up to standard for consumption. It would be preferable if that were in the legislation. It is critical that the Minister state categorically on the record of the Dáil that it is the legislative intent of this that there be no charge for water that is on a boil notice and is unfit for human consumption. That must be unequivocally clear. It is a regrettable flaw in the legislation that that is not categorically stated.

Passing legislation in this rushed fashion is something for which we have paid the price relatively recently in the context of the property charge. That legislation was rushed through this day last year and during the year we found flaws in it. We keep repeating the mistakes of the past. It is Christmas week and we said Irish Water would be operational on 1 January 2014. We create artificial deadlines for ourselves and make bad law. It is an issue.

Recently I had occasion to telephone Cork County Council's out of hours service to report a break in water supply in my constituency. A recorded message on the answering machine said customers calling about the discolouration of the water supply in the Douglas area should run their taps for a considerable period before consuming the water. That is not a boil notice but to advise people on water meters, the purpose of which is to conserve and charge, to keep their taps running for a while is ludicrous. Obviously, that is not an Irish Water situation but Irish Water will have to be flexible in its response to discolouration and boil notices. We cannot charge for a service we cannot stand over. When the Minister gets an opportunity to reply to this section and conclude the debate he must clearly state that. Regrettably, the legislation is flawed in some respects and we are working to an artificial deadline.

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