Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am wondering if there is any possibility of some legislation to reform the entity of so-called Uisce Éireann, Irish Water. The town of Clonmel serves roughly 20,000 people. There are water outages on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. I salute former official Jimmy Harney and others and present officials trying to get a source from the River Suir and a treatment plant. Indeed, there is a landowner willing to sell the site. However, there is no movement from Irish Water. It does not have a penny to do anything. The business people, ordinary families, hospitals, everybody else and every industry is out of water on a daily basis, or on a weekly basis certainly, and sometimes for whole weekends and weeks. Heading to the driest period of the year, August and September, I shudder to think what will happen to the people. It is just not fair and it is not viable for them to continue. It has a huge impact on their lives and business. They are going around to neighbours and elsewhere to get a shower. It is just pathetic at the moment. We need some kind of reform and accountability from Irish Water.

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