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

The Minister clearly has options, according to Article 9(4). He could have chosen a policy of conservation and shown he is achieving the objectives of the directive. That could be done through building regulations, water harvesting, particularly in larger buildings, or the roll-out of a large-scale water education and awareness programme.

The Minister will recall that about 15 years ago it was in vogue in this country to say that Irish people would not recycle. We now have one of the best recycling rates in the EU, which is good, and we should have more of it. We cannot do too much. Irish people will conserve water. It is an option.

The €800 million or so that has been spent has not been spent on fixing leaks; rather, it has been spent on establishing Irish Water and the cost of metering, which was €539 million. That money would have repaired an awful lot of mains. We could save water and achieve the purpose of the directive.

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