Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As far back as July 2016 our former colleague, Willie Penrose, published a Bill to amend the Constitution to ensure public ownership of our public utilities. This would have covered not just our public water supply and wastewater treatment infrastructure but also our gas and electricity transmission networks. Seven years on, we are no closer to seeing such a referendum being proposed. It has always been our position that our water infrastructure should remain in public ownership. It is most important to note that there was never any proposal to privatise it despite a lot of rhetoric on the issue. Water is a public good that ought to be accessible and State-run in perpetuity to ensure the State is resilient in the event of any crisis in supply or distribution.

With respect to the Minister of State, I have heard nothing about a referendum. The wording of the Minister of State's speech is not specific as to when the referendum would take place. We need a specific date and time or some timelines to ensure the referendum takes place.

It is vitally important to maintain public confidence by ensuring it is retained in State ownership.

I will address the quality of supply in the Cork region. I will name places such as Inchigeelagh, Ballycotton, Castletownshend, Whitegate, Aghada, Mitchelstown, Rathcormack, Kinsale and Clonakilty from where raw sewage is going into the sea. There are continuous boil water notices in places such as Aghada and Whitegate, as there is in the little enclave of Killavullen. Good and decent people live in Killavullen who, up to a few years ago, never had a boil water notice. As the local Deputy representing that area, I still cannot get an answer as to why there are boil water notices in Killavullen. I still cannot get a definitive answer from Irish Water with regard to Whitegate or Aghada.

Cork county councillors will tell the Minister of State the same. It was reported by Sean O'Riordan in yesterday's Irish Examinerthat they are extremely frustrated by the lack of engagement by Irish Water on matters such as boil water notices. The quality of communications from Irish Water has diminished substantially in the past 12 months. It is very hard to get up-to-the-minute information. If we are trying to serve our constituents to the best of our ability, they deserve answers as to why there are boil water notices in Killavullen and in places such as Whitegate and Aghada.

We have not been able to define or pin down the nature of the problem. Updates need to be provided and proper answers given to public representatives in this House and local authorities. The quality of the engagement is exceptionally poor. Dare I say it, every time I put down a parliamentary question to seek information from the Minister's Department, I am told it is not a matter for the Department. In the most recent reply, dated yesterday, I was told that it is not a matter for the Department, that all operational matters are a matter for Irish Water, and that the Department "maintains an ongoing engagement with Irish Water regarding strategic, financial and general operational matters". If that is the case, I suggest the Minister's Department is answerable to this House and to individual Deputies when we put down parliamentary questions as to why there are boil water notices or when we seek information. I ask the Minister to reverse engines on the policy of not informing us, as Members, because we need to be able to inform our constituents. However, the fundamental question is why Killavullen, as one example, has boil water notices. What is the reason for those boil water notices and why are they not being fixed? Why is the problem not being resolved? Why has the issue in Whitegate and Aghada not been resolved?

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