Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My constituents will be absolutely delighted with the environmental benefits to the River Boyne, as will I. I will be delighted with the improvement to the energy efficiency of the plans at Staleen in Donore, County Meath. Of course, we will be absolutely delighted to have the Staleen water treatment plant removed from the EPA's remedial action list and have a safe supply of drinking water ensured for the people. However, fundamentally what my constituents want is a supply of water that is reliable, clean and safe and on which they can depend.

I want the Minister of State to set out on the floor of the Dáil, or if he cannot do so to come back to me as soon as possible in writing, the exact nature of the action plan that Irish Water is pursuing, the actions in that action plan and the timescale the action plan involves. We have been told this will all be sorted in a couple of years. I want to know whether this is the case. I want the Minister of State to know the urgency of this and to pursue it and not let it drop because it is very important. All these points on the water treatment plant at Staleen will also benefit constituents in the rural area who are on the main supply and those in the very important town of Ashbourne. There are industries and jobs there that depend on a reliable water supply. There is no recompense whatsoever for businesses that have been discommoded by Irish Water if the supply is not there. If a business, such as a dry-cleaners, a cafe, a supermarket that sells coffee or a range of other businesses that depend on water, loses out, Irish Water does not give compensation. I want to mention this because by and large these are tax compliant small businesses and they deserve better treatment than what they are getting. At the very least, they deserve to know what is happening and have it set out in a very clear way.

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