Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirleach, as ucht an seans a thabhairt dom cúpla focal a rá maidir leis an gceist thábhachtach seo ó thaobh Uisce Éireann agus na táillí uisce de. I and Fine Gael have believed in this over the last number of years and even before that it was part of our manifesto in 2011. Some people have stated that we did not get a mandate for Irish Water, but I believe we did in 2011. A single integrated public utility is the most effective and efficient model to meet the country's water and wastewater infrastructure requirements. It is the correct way forward.

The decades of under-investment require a large scale intervention. Irish Water, which is publicly owned, is already achieving savings and efficiencies. There has been investment in every part of the country, including in Galway where a host of problems and challenges are only being addressed now. In the past we had the experience with cryptosporidium. With regard to our beaches and coastal waters, Clifden has thankfully achieved an improvement in water quality in its bathing waters. That was highlighted constantly in the news media for many years, which impacted on tourism. Thankfully, that has been resolved due to investment in Irish Water. What will happen to the investment programmes that every Member of the Dáil warmly welcomes?

It is amazing that the people against Irish Water always seem to be able to welcome the investment by Irish Water in their local communities. A failing of our society is the lack of any debate or focus on how we raise revenue. This is why the broadening of the tax base, which included the property tax and charging for water whereby everyone in society pays something for the services they receive, was a correct and proper principle. Were there to be an abolition of water charges we must look at fairness for those individuals on group water schemes, those with private wells who provide for necessary upgrades and maintenance from their own pockets and those who have responsibly paid their bills. I have strongly stated to the Minister, Deputy Noonan, that if there is to be any row-back on charges there also needs to be increased funding for group water schemes and private wells. Fine Gael and I certainly do not believe there should be a row back on water charges. Others have commented on a deal which, if it is reached, will be announced in due course. The principle of paying for the services used is correct and proper. As others have pointed out, there are issues with ability to pay. This has been a failing of the system and I accept this. There needs to be closer scrutiny and analysis of those who cannot pay and measures provided to help them.

If we constantly attack the sources of revenue it puts us on a dangerous avenue. There has been little debate on how we properly fund our water and wastewater services. They will not magically appear and they must be funded. The provision of clean safe water has been one of the most important innovations of modern society because in the past many people died from unsafe water. People died from treatable illnesses in Ireland because of unsafe water. World Health Organization research states at least 10% of the world's population is thought to consume food irrigated by wastewater. Globally, at least 1.8 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces. A total of 842,000 people are estimated to die each year from diarrhoea as a result of unsafe drinking water, sanitation and hand hygiene. We cannot underestimate the importance of a safe water supply, which requires investment.

When I was first elected to Galway County Council - Deputy Canney was there at the time - we received a water and wastewater investment programme from the Department with responsibility for the environment which stated every town and village in County Galway would be funded over the following years, and the following year we received the same list with a year added on to the completion dates. I will not say there was no investment, but there was little investment in valuable water and wastewater services.

Fine Gael is often accused of not being on the side of workers. There has been very little thought, although the Minister mentioned them, about the workers of Irish Water. Politicians always get blamed, and that is fine because it is part and parcel and people attack us verbally, but Irish Water staff have listened to insults being fired at the company for which they work. It has been called a calamity, a fiasco and a failed entity. This contributes to the dislike of the company and makes it difficult for them to go about doing the job they do. We can criticise the CEO and people who are on big money, but many Irish Water staff are on ordinary wages, the same as many other people. They are on the same payscale as those who work for Gas Networks Ireland. They been subjected to a sustained attack for going about their business, and this must be acknowledged.

The unions in Irish Water request that there be no diminution in the terms and conditions of Irish Water and Ervia employees. The group of unions will not accept any redundancies which might result from any proposed reconfiguration of Irish Water. They also believe a constitutional referendum to ensure enduring public ownership of water services and infrastructure in the State should take place. I agree with this and I regret it has not been done heretofore. It is something that should be considered. Although the outgoing Government had no intention of promoting a privatisation model, as other people have suggested, it would somewhat relieve and allay the fears people have about water.

I cannot understand why people have an issue with water metering. People believe if one has a water meter one will pay for it, but water meters save money. They identify leaks. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, spoke about this earlier. The installation of water meters provided jobs at a time of poor prospects for many people in the construction sector. It has allowed an increase in the balance between usage and supply in Dublin, where we have seen major instances in the not too distant past when there was a threat that the water supply of Dublin, our capital, would run out. It would not be good for companies thinking of investing anywhere in the country to see a headline that our capital city did not have a proper water supply. The installation of water meters has helped this because it has identified leaks, which is important. Consumer metering is extremely important and we have seen this in group water schemes over the past 20 years. When I was first elected to Galway County Council, there were problems with an inadequate water supply on the outskirts of Galway city and a district metering scheme was introduced to identify major leaks in the system. This helped, and it also helps in individual water situations. This is important.

I am 40 years of age and I remember going to the house of my neighbour, Mrs. Hand, Lord have mercy on her, with a bucket to get water from her well. I remember back in the 1980s turning on a switch for the pump to try to get water from the river, if it worked. This was seven miles from Galway city. Many people in rural Ireland had to establish committees, group water schemes, hold meetings, collect subscriptions and lobby politicians to get water schemes in place. There are still parts of County Galway, such as Kilreekil which will be familiar to people who travel on the road from Galway to Dublin, which has no public water supply scheme. No investment was made. Other areas in Connemara and many parts of rural Ireland are too far to bring public water supply schemes and they fend for themselves as best they can. If one buys a house in an urban area it is connected to a public supply scheme; when one turns on the tap water comes out, and when one flushes the toilet one does so without worrying about where sewage goes to because it is on a mains system. In the country people have septic tanks. If people understood the fight many people in rural areas had they might have a different view of the value of water and believe it should be paid for. I draw a distinction between those who cannot pay and those who will not pay, and the outgoing Government should have done more for those who genuinely could not pay and struggled to pay.

With regard to the Costello regional water supply scheme, I have been fighting with Irish Water to ensure we get an adequate supply from Galway city so this very important area has adequate clean water. Previous plans ran into problems with An Bord Pleanála with regard to capacity in Glenicmurrin Lough, but I have been fighting with Irish Water and I hope that over the coming period of time we will hear something about this very important scheme for the south Connemara area.

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