Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to outline the views of Fine Gael on the future of water services. It is important to state at the very outset that Fine Gael fully believes in the benefits of maintaining a national utility to fix, upgrade and maintain our water network so families and businesses can enjoy a secure and clean water supply. We also stand by our belief in the conservation of water as a precious natural resource through a metered charging regime.

The creation of a single water utility by the last Government was in response to the shocking state of our national water infrastructure. Decades of inaction by previous Governments had brought our entire water system to the verge of collapse. While we all saw evidence of the decay, such as the cryptosporidium contamination in Galway, it was really only when Irish Water had been established that the extent of the crisis facing our infrastructure became clear for the first time. Almost 1 million citizens were at risk of contamination. One third of all major wastewater treatment plants were overloaded. At least 23,000 people had to boil water before using it, and many had to do so for years. Raw sewage was and still is being pumped directly into our seas, rivers and bays at more than 40 locations around the country. Two thirds of all sewers were in need of repair as raw sewage leaked into the ground. These issues have a real impact on people, families and businesses across the country in terms of health and quality of life. We could not stand over a system that was making people sick. It was clear that the disparate and fragmented approach to water as an inevitable consequence of having 34 separate local authorities responsible for local water services contributed to this broken and failed system. After considering the issue fully, a decision was made to consolidate water services into a single national utility. This decision was taken to protect families and secure our water supplies long into the future. The accusation from some of a secret agenda of privatisation is completely bogus and untrue. The hard yards in establishing Irish Water have now been taken. The early investment and reform measures are now starting to deliver real results for communities across the country.

In the three years since a single utility has taken over responsibility for water services, we now have for the first time a plan and a long-term vision for water infrastructure. Irish Water has removed almost 300,000 people from the EPA at-risk drinking water register by implementing required disinfection technologies in water treatment plants. It has already removed 20,000 people from the long-term boil-water notice circumstances in which they were living. It has repaired more than 500 km of the worst water mains that were continually failing people. It has upgraded wastewater treatment plants in places such as Swords, Naas, Leixlip, Galway, Clifden, Dunmore East, Ardmore, Clonakilty and Carrigtwohill. It has saved more than 32 million litres of water, enough to serve the counties of Carlow and Laois combined, and it has identified a further 80 million litres that can be saved through fixing household leaks. Also, critically, it has reduced operating costs by 14% and identified more than €200 million in capital savings on large projects in planning.

The decision to create a single water utility was the correct one. It is working and it is here to stay. Over the course of the next five years, the utility has an ambitious €5.5 billion works programme to bring our water infrastructure up to an acceptable standard. This will involve the removal of all supplies from the EPA’s at-risk list, benefiting nearly 1 million households. This will eliminate all boil-water notices across the country and reduce leaks to a rate of 38%, as opposed to the current rate of 49%, saving 180 million litres of water per day. That is the task we are embarking on. The utility will end the scandal of pumping raw and untreated sewage into our rivers and onto our beaches, including at Cork Harbour, into which 50,000 houses are currently pumping raw sewage. That will be fixed within the next 18 months by Irish Water.

Irish Water will secure water supplies for a growing Dublin region and deliver water improvements and derisk supplies in every county. As part of our discussions with Fianna Fáil on its facilitation of a Fine Gael-led minority Government, we have discussed the possibility of creating an oversight committee on Irish Water that will report to the Oireachtas to boost transparency and ensure targets are being met.

On water charges, as the House will be aware, talks are ongoing on the formation of a Fine Gael-led minority Government with Fianna Fáil. During these discussions, Fine Gael has maintained its long-running policy of supporting a single water utility and a water charging regime that supports conservation and protects funding for clean water supplies. However, the facts are to be seen. Fine Gael won 50 seats in the recent election and the parties of the last Government can no longer impose their will on the Dáil. Instead, we need to persuade people on the merits of good public policy, informed by experts and best practice. While I hear very clearly today and relate to the frustrations outlined by Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, the fact is that without agreement with Fianna Fáil on water, it is inevitable that a rushed vote on the future of Irish Water and water charges will be taken in a politically charged environment in the aftermath of an election.

The result would have been a massive public policy mistake that we would have regretted.

Pending a final outcome of the ongoing discussions with Fianna Fáil, we have discussed the possibility of establishing an expert commission to examine funding models, charging and conservation incentives. The commission could send its recommendations to an Oireachtas committee for further investigation and testimony from experts. Independent legal advice to the Dáil should also be considered on Ireland's obligations under EU water directives. This process could provide time and space to conduct an informed and detailed discussion for a period of approximately nine months, during which time water charges would be put on hold to create space for this debate and fair consideration.

Following this process, the Dáil would need to make a decision, which would be a test for politics and all those who speak about new politics. Do we accept independent expert advice about what is best for the country and vote accordingly or do we retreat behind party political positions designed for electoral gain? Fine Gael will vote for a charging regime that supports the best principles of water conservation and the provision of clean water for homes and businesses. The priority for this party, three months after an election, is to form a Government that can adequately deal with the many challenges facing the people, of which water provision is one. The current discussions between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil can provide a basis to allow us to move on from the current political impasse with which so many people outside the House are losing patience.

I believe we will secure the future of Irish Water as a single water utility. Detailed discussions on the nature of water funding can lead to a path towards an agreed and settled water charging infrastructure. Most important, this must be a model that is accepted by the vast majority of people on the basis of argument and evidence of what is right. This infrastructure must ensure families and businesses receive the safe and clean water supplies they need.

See this speech in context