Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the issue of water. There is no doubt it is very emotive and is the one which probably attracts the most attention in the media. Many Members on the opposite side of the House campaigned almost exclusively on this issue alone and would not have won their seats but for the issue of water. At this stage I believe the public is tired of the constant talking and media attention given to the water issue.

Despite what other people may say, during the election campaign water was not the issue about which people on the doorstep wanted to talk. They wanted to talk about health, education, housing and the economy. They wanted to know our plans for the health services, how could we improve the waiting times in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and improve the services available in Louth County Hospital in Dundalk. They wanted to know the plans for the education sector, how we would reduce class sizes in secondary and primary schools, improve access to third level education institutions, such as Dundalk Institute of Technology, and provide the funds to continue with a very active capital investment programme in our schools.

On housing, they wanted to know how we would provide the extra housing required to address the housing and homelessness issues which, unfortunately, exist today.

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