Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his attendance to take this question. Normally, I would deal with this issue locally but we have been frustrated in our attempts to get a satisfactory resolution from Irish Water. What is the current status of the boil water notice relating to the Galtee regional public supply in County Tipperary? The notice has been in place since 31 October 2019. Approximately 120 properties are dependent on this supply to their homes. Will the Minister of State give a full update on the steps that have been taken by Irish Water on this issue to allow the boil water notice to be lifted and ensure the residents of these properties have a safe, clean and reliable water supply in their homes as a matter of urgency? In exactly 11 days, these households will have endured a full calendar year, 365 days, of being subjected to these conditions. This is not acceptable by any standard. It is appalling neglect and breach of contract.

The boil water notice was lifted for 38 homes in the area. It remains in place on a secondary section of the mains from Kilfeakle to Golden pending completion of remedial works and satisfactory monitoring results. This continues to impact on 80 households. The residents of these 80 homes are frustrated and, in fact, bitter over this long drawn-out saga. It was possible to lift the restriction for the 38 homes following the completion of remedial works, primarily the installation of booster chlorination and water mains scouring, the receipt of satisfactory monitoring results, and after consultation with the HSE. The 80 remaining homes have been left in limbo due to depleted chlorine levels in part of the network, and it is these 80 homes about which I am concerned and why I am raising this issue.

The remaining homes have been thanked, no less, by Irish Water for their patience and told the issue will be rectified in that standard phrase "as soon as possible". They have never been given any indication as to when this will happen. No timeline has been put on it. In the meantime, they continue to boil water for drinking, food preparation, bathing babies and children, brushing teeth and preparing infant bottles and food. Prior to the pandemic these families struggled for more than three months. One can only imagine how much more difficult the struggle has been since the pressures of Covid-19 were heaped upon them. They are under intolerable pressure and inconvenience.

During the remedial works that have been carried out to date, to restore a safe supply to the 38 homes, all households on the scheme were left with no water supply or significantly reduced water pressure. In fact, there was a publicised case of a nurse who was unable to wash her uniforms as a result of the water pressure being too low to operate her washing machine. This is an absolute scandal and is bordering on Third World conditions for these households. I ask the Minister of State for a response.

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