Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I must declare an interest. My family has a small plant hire business that has been repairing and replacing water pipes for more than 60 years in Kerry.

We all realise that water is essential and that without it, none of us can survive. For various reasons, many parts of my county do not have water at certain times of the year. They do not have pipes running in front of their homes, so they must improvise by, for example, drawing water. One community in south Kerry must hire lorries and tankers to bring it water practically everyday from April until the middle or end of September.

I hope that some geniuses decide in the coming months that it will be grand for everyone to have free water. I would support that because I also would like to have free water but many people on group schemes in my county have been suffering trying to keep their schemes working, their water treated and their pipes repaired. It costs money constantly to keep water flowing in those pipes. Another set of people have wells, pumps and private supplies of their own but keeping the water coming into their homes costs money. They must provide their own septic tanks but even before they can place those, people need to get planning permission for them, undergo site assessments and meet planners' strict regulations. Some treatment systems can cost up to €14,000 or €16,000. Many young couples have had to go through all of this recently to comply with the new standards and regulations.

People in group sewerage schemes experience a lot of trouble. It costs a lot to enter the schemes at the outset. I know of numerous communities around Killarney and the rest of Kerry seeking to have group sewerage schemes sanctioned but they may have to wait for three, four or five years. They have been waiting for the past five years but there is no word that they will be assisted in this regard.

Over the years, farmers and businesspeople have been paying continuously for water from the public supply. They have been glad to get it. The only trouble they have is when the water system breaks down. They really start to complain when they do not have water. They may be without it for only a short few hours but they need to get the supply restored as soon as possible. Until they have the water back again, they are not happy, as everybody here can understand.

If we are to have free water for all, all those people who have paid their charges up to now will have to be refunded. Irrespective of what committee is to vet these proposals, it will have to consider that people in group water schemes, or with wells, pumps and septic tanks, and those in group sewerage schemes will have to be helped and subsidised. Their group schemes will have to be brought up to standard, as will their wells, and they will have to be funded so there will be equality in all sections of society.

There is much to be considered. I would dearly love it if everybody could have free water, but I do not know how that would be achieved. I have been repairing pipes myself over the years and noted water does not get into them without a lot of work and without someone ensuring they are maintained and repaired. The water must be treated, which costs money. Some people say water will be paid for through progressive taxation. Maybe they are going to raise income tax, and maybe the people in the schemes I have been talking about will be asked to pay so others can have free water.

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