Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 35:

In page 17, lines 32 and 33, to delete “section 22.”.” and substitute the following:“section 22.

(7) Within six months of this Act coming into effect the Minister shall—

(a) commission a report on the upgrading of the water infrastructure and the volume of unaccounted water, and

(b) commission a report on the changes to building regulations required to ensure there are water conservation measures in all newly built properties.”.”.

Amendment No. 35 provides that the Minister should report back in six months on the volume of unaccounted water and the cost of infrastructure upgrading, that is, pipes, and should report back on new building regulations that are required for water conservation in newly built houses.

Amendment No. 36 provides that the Minister will report to the Dáil within six months on establishing a water conservation grant. I will comment briefly on them because they more or less speak for themselves. The biggest waster of water is the State. Some 48% of treated water is unaccounted for. We are looking here at leaks which are not the responsibility of households, but the responsibility of the local authority on its side of the stopcock. An incredible amount of treated water is being wasted. We have argued consistently that the money that has been wasted on installing individual meters outside households should instead have been ploughed into fixing those leaks and bringing the level down from 48%. That should be done now and we are seeking to provide that the Minister should bring a full report on that to the House in six months.

The proposal to establish a water conservation grant speaks for itself.

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