Seán Kenny (Dublin North East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter relating to the removal of lead pipes from the water supply system. It has been stated that 42 public water supplies in Ireland tested in the latest Environmental Protection Agency inspections had lead levels that exceeded the safety thresholds that came into effect in December last year. Dublin city alone is known to have several thousand homes still with internal lead pipes, and that situation is replicated across the country. Ireland is not alone in this regard with having legacy issues of lead pipes, as the problem is also prevalent in England, Scotland and France.

Public health specialist Dr. Anthony Breslin has recently stated that the full impact of lead exposure was serious and could cause neurological disease. He urged householders with any doubts to have their pipes checked. He also indicated that public awareness about the dangers of lead was high when it started to be removed from paint and petrol but in the 20 to 30 years since, people may have become complacent about the presence of lead.

A constituent contacted me last week to express his concern and anxiety regarding what he described as a potentially lethal problem. He has a nine-year-old daughter and he is very worried that the lead in his water supply could cause her health issues in future. There is great concern in St. Anne's estate in Raheny in my constituency about the presence of lead pipes in the water supply network in this estate, comprising approximately 700 homes. St. Anne's estate was built by Dublin Corporation, as it was, and completed in 1954 as an estate to house families qualifying for a local authority loan to purchase a home. At that time, the people had to be either existing corporation tenants or corporation housing applicants to qualify for the loan. The design of the estate is similar to other Dublin Corporation estates of the period, and that design continued up to the 1970s. The current problem with lead water supply pipes is manifesting particularly in St. Anne's estate and it is a cause of concern to the residents.

I am told representatives of Irish Water are currently liaising with the Environmental Protection Agency to finalise a national strategy to address the issue of lead water pipes. Irish Water has also indicated that property owners are responsible for the water distribution on their own properties, including all domestic internal plumbing. In Scotland, for example, there are grants for private householders to replace pipes with plastic or other alternatives.

There are no grant incentive schemes here at present. A grant-aided scheme to remove harmful lead pipes from the drinking water infrastructure would provide jobs as well as eliminating a public health risk, which would be welcome. I call on the Minister to consider this strategy. It is now time to remove the lead.

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