Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This issue has been debated for decades but we still have not got a water system that is fit for purpose. The pace at which the latest upgrade works are being carried out is, I think we can all agree, very frustrating. Questions need to be asked about why it will be 2046 before all lead piping in the system is replaced. This was highlighted in a recent EPA report. This is a public health issue and the replacement programme needs to be accelerated.

I will move to a few local issues. Constituents who are unable to move into their new homes have regularly been in touch with my office, and likely Deputy Cian O'Callaghan's office as well. They have been getting delay after delay because there is a problem with getting these new housing estates connected to the water supply. I appreciate this is a big issue across Dublin but it is totally unacceptable. These people deserve better. Another issue I had this week was a constituent contacting us to let us know her whole block of apartments had been disconnected. She did not receive any information from Irish Water telling her this was going to happen. When she tried to find out why this happened she was told nothing. This is totally unacceptable and it is happening regularly.

Let us go back to 2014 when Fine Gael and Labour attempted to privatise our water system. Citizens organised and fought the Government of the day to roll back on its plans.

Ever since then, there have been calls for a referendum to keep water in public ownership. The trade union movement has launched a campaign, Keep Water Public, which calls on the Government to name a date for a referendum. The campaign's demands are simple, namely, that the Government needs to set a date for a referendum to enshrine public ownership of our water system in the Constitution. The Minister of State said he is open to such a referendum but he needs to back up that statement. He must present citizens with the opportunity to insert the right to water in our Constitution as soon as possible.

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