Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, can address the important issues I raise. We learned today that thousands of people have been drinking water from rural supplies that are contaminated with E. coli, many of which are in my constituency of Mayo and also in Galway. Of the 380 group water schemes inspected, 20 were contaminated. When will the review of the funding and supports for water services in rural Ireland be finalised and acted upon?

I raised with the Tánaiste some weeks ago the plight of the dozens of families in Cleragh and Lisduff , just outside Kiltimagh, who were caught between Irish Water and Mayo County Council. Nothing has happened since. The problem is that Irish Water has basically issued an instruction to Mayo County Council that all connections and related works, including network extensions, must be delivered by Irish Water regional framework contractors and not by the local authority. All these families want is to be connected to the local treatment plant. Some €270,000 had been allocated and individual financial contributions have been agreed. Will the Minister of State confirm that either Mayo County Council can go ahead with the piping infrastructure or that Irish Water will at least allow the piping infrastructure to be provided in order that the families can be connected to the treatment plant when the upgrade is completed? Does Mayo County Council need explicit permission from Irish Water?

The Government is saying that housing is its priority but 20 social houses that are ready to be built in Kiltimagh cannot go ahead without the treatment plant upgrade. It makes a mockery of the town centre initiatives and the development of digital hubs when basic infrastructure is not even provided in these towns. What powers does the Minister have in relation to Irish Water? Can he instruct Irish Water to take action?

In Mayo, there are 16 schemes ready for takeover, ten of which have a legacy debt. The debt has accrued because of leaking due to the decades of neglect of the pipe infrastructure. Will the Minister ask the Commission for Regulation of Utilities to do the decent thing and write off the legacy debt so that these schemes can be taken over? These volunteers in the community are trying to run water schemes that have debts in some cases of more than €100,000 or €120,000. There is one in my area, the Pullathomas water scheme. This is not fair on volunteers in the community.

What in the name of God is going on with Irish Water with regard to farmers in Mayo and single farms, often comprising several small plots of land, which require water? The Minister of State knows the make-up of farms on marginal land in areas like Mayo. It is incredible that Irish Water is attempting to charge already struggling farmers for multiple water supplies. The same acreage in other parts of the country, with large commercial farms, are charged for one supply. Even more despicable is that Irish Water is refusing to appear before Mayo County Council to answer questions from directly-elected councillors, many of whom are from the Minister of State's party. Where did Irish Water get its mandate from? The Minister of State's councillors are being treated with contempt in Mayo when trying to get answers from Irish Water for their own constituents.

When Phil Hogan created Irish Water, he hardly meant to conceive an unaccountable monster but this is what Irish Water is turning into. We saw at the weekend a Government Minister struggle to get information from the HSE. Are we now in a similar position with Irish Water? The Government needs to hold Irish Water to account and pull it back. The Government is accountable to the people, including county councillors who are the elected representatives. We cannot afford to have another HSE that is unaccountable to the people. All we are asking is that basic water infrastructure be delivered for the people of Mayo and other counties. It is not happening through Irish Water.

See this speech in context