Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I acknowledge that Irish Water has been making progress and that it inherited a system that was not invested in for many years because investing in waste water treatment plants, or pipes in the ground, was not headline grabbing. We have neglected a very precious resource and the result of that neglect is that we have been discharging substandard water into our watercourses, our rivers and the marine environment for many years.

I welcome the programme for Government's commitment to retaining Irish Water in public ownership as a national, stand-alone, regulated utility. The Government has also committed to ensuring that Irish Water is sufficiently funded to make the necessary investment in drinking and waste water infrastructure. The programme also mandates Irish Water to develop plans to ensure security of supply and sufficient capacity in drinking and waste water networks to allow for balanced regional development. We must ensure that we match those commitments with adequate funding. It is important to recognise that the treatment of both drinking and waste water is expensive and complex. It requires investment and constant maintenance and our health and the health of our country is at stake if we do not adequately fund the commitments made in the programme for Government.

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