Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to start by making a statement that I rarely make in this House. I fully support the core message we have heard from the Minister and, indeed, from other public authorities in recent weeks as well. Many of us have had huge concerns about the Government's water policy over the years. We have significant concerns about the structure and operation of Irish Water. Leaving all of that aside, anybody who looks at the facts in a reasonable manner, particularly in the context of recent weather events, will acknowledge that we have a supply problem. While we have political differences on some of the core issues, we all need to emphasise the message of conservation. It is important to make it clear that the heaviest burden of conservation needs to fall on the shoulders of those responsible for the largest levels of waste in our system. Domestic users have a role to play and the evidence shows they are playing that role very well. However, it is crucial for business and for the Government to play their part as well. It is worth emphasising, as we always do during these debates, that the State - now through the infrastructure managed by Irish Water - is the single biggest waster of water. This point has already been highlighted by Deputy Casey. Some 36% of water in the greater Dublin water supply area is lost in the distribution system. The relevant figures for the Dublin county and Dublin city areas, respectively, are 40% and 50%. The weather event is not at the core of this problem and nor is excessive use by large numbers of households. As a consequence of decades of under-investment, we have a system that is leaking phenomenal volumes of expensively treated water.

Irish Water's figures are startling. It is probable that approximately 610 million litres are available in the greater Dublin water supply region each day.On the basis of comments made by Irish Water yesterday and today, it appears that the current level of demand is approximately 568 million litres per day. According to Irish Water's own figures, some 207 million litres are lost in the greater Dublin supply area every day. Deputies will be aware that Emma Kennedy has been campaigning on water issues for a long time. She calculates in an interesting article in The Irish Timestoday that the level of daily water loss in the greater Dublin supply area is close to 300 million litres. Regardless of the exact figure, it is clear that there is a phenomenal volume of loss. While I clearly and unequivocally support the Minister in calling for conservation, we also need to hear from him an outline of what the Government intends to do differently from what is currently in the pipeline to try to reduce the phenomenal level of leakage. It is significant that Irish Water's capital investment programme will increase by €200 million to €777 million next year.

It is to increase again to €728 million in 2020 and to €806 million in 2021.

One of the conversations we keep having with Irish Water representatives when they appear before the committee concerns why it is not possible to accelerate the water loss reduction programme. Irish Water is talking about saving approximately 44 million litres per day by 2021. That is a saving of only 11 million litres per day in the greater Dublin region each year over the next four years. I just do not understand why it is not possible to accelerate the rate of saving to prioritise, alongside tackling the problem with wastewater treatment plants, having a more aggressive level of leakage reduction. The housing committee, which is responsible for oversight of this issue, has heard evidence of much more successful rates of leakage reduction elsewhere, for example, in London, which faces many of the problems faced in Dublin owing to high levels of urban infrastructural development complicating the replacement of pipes, etc. I urge the Minister to re-examine the issue of how to fast-track and take a more aggressive approach to reduction, be it today or at a later stage.

Some commentators and Members of this House, although not the Minister, have been claiming that if water charges had been introduced in 2014, the situation would somehow be different today. That is simply not the case. Irish Water's capital investment plan is exactly the same today as it was when water charges were first mooted. The only difference is that money that would have come from charges comes from general taxation. In fact, the level of investment in capital infrastructure upgrades, including leak reduction, is exactly the same. Therefore, having raised money through water charges as opposed to general taxation would have made no difference.

The crucial issue is whether that level of investment can and should be increased. If the Minister is in a position today or later in the week to say, in his public commentary, whether there are intentions, particularly in light of budget 2019, to enter into discussions with Irish Water to determine whether some of that capital infrastructure upgrading could be brought forward, it would be useful.

Some people will attempt to use the water shortage to accelerate the implementation of the Shannon–Dublin water supply pipeline proposal. While my party is clear that it is not against the proposition of piping water to the city in principle, it believes that, with such severe leakage and the unevidenced argument that aquifers in the greater Dublin region are not available, there are still questions to be answered. I would welcome clarification and further statements from the Minister with respect to that.

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