Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Cowen for introducing this Private Members' motion as it gives us an opportunity to discuss this timely matter.

Irish Water has not been a success to date as everybody has detailed already. In fact, Irish Water is rapidly becoming an expression of derision countrywide. We can see all the reasons: luxury offices; performance-related bonuses before it even gets properly started; buying expensive external expert consulting services when Bord Gáis Éireann was regarded as the most appropriate body to facilitate the delivery and establishment of Irish Water; and worse still, its failure to communicate to the public its vision, role and confusing charging mechanism. It has no credibility at present. It must be focused and it must step up to the plate.

That being said, the creation of Irish Water is necessary. We have had a disastrous situation with 34 local authorities which have provided a very poor service for the people. In County Roscommon, 22,000 people have been on boil-water notices for the past four years. The advent of Irish Water will allow them to have water without the need for boiling by Christmas after such a long period of time. Even though the local authority was informed three years ago that there was ten times the acceptable level of lead in the water being supplied to St. Brendan's Park in Tralee, the residents still have to use exactly the same water because the local authority has not put the funding into fixing it. The work of local authorities in this respect has been very patchy.

The experience with Scottish Water has shown how a consolidated mechanism - a utility that is working well - can save up to 40%. I recently tabled a parliamentary question on the investment made in Irish Water over the last period of time. Over this year, next year and the following year €300 million will be invested - €100 million per annum - just on infrastructure. The amount invested each year is more than was invested by the Fianna Fáil and Green Party Government in the entire period of the Celtic tiger.

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