Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are delighted to have you back, a Cheann Comhairle. You were sorely missed. Welcome back. It is great to see you looking so well.

I welcome, in budget 2023, the secured funding of €1.68 billion for the delivery of water services. While this involves a significant increase in many areas, there are many challenges. One of them that I have been on about for years is the Bagenalstown wastewater treatment plant, the upgrade of which has been listed for quite a long time in Irish Water's current capital investment plan under the project title of "Muinebheag and Leighlinbridge Wastewater Treatment Plant". The plant is also included in the wastewater treatment capacity register published on the Irish Water website. The current projected delivery date for this - I have been onto the Department and got a commitment - is early 2023. The capacity of the new plant will be 9,200 population equivalent. It will be designed to cater for projected residential growth of up to 5,265 people over the next ten years, including the existing and future population, for those currently connected to private non-Irish Water infrastructure and for industry and non-domestic growth in line with the national planning framework. My greatest concern is that no development in the area can proceed until this is upgraded. The area is already 20% over capacity, and that is a huge amount. The biggest issue brought up here today is that no sort of infrastructural work can be done - no housing or businesses can be built - unless we have this upgrade done. My concern is that we need to get these projects done as soon as possible. We cannot keep saying they will be done next year. We are crying out for houses. We are crying out for businesses to be built. We must do whatever we can to make sure we have all the steps in place for that.

I work with Irish Water. In fairness, it has an Oireachtas line and a line that local authority members can ring. However, I have had people onto me about trying to contact Irish Water who find that they are having huge issues.

The other issue I want to talk about is leaks. A number of people have contacted me to say that they have contacted Irish Water about leaks and bills. This is about businesses. One of them is a stud farm in County Carlow. Those involved have been in contact with Irish Water on several occasions about leaks. These leaks need to be sorted out. A man who came to me only two weeks ago has a business in Carlow. He said he had not got a bill from Irish Water for years. He got a bill and he said that he will have to get a mortgage to clear it. When Irish Water is working with businesses, it needs to have constant contact with them on their bills and what they have to pay. One cannot give a business a bill after years, particularly that amount of a bill. I had a convent on to me. It has charitable status. They have been receiving bills from Irish Water. I might as well tell the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, that I am blue in the face contacting them. I think we nearly have it sorted out. Everybody has enough strain at the moment without putting all these pressures on businesses, and particularly those with charitable status that are getting bills that they should not have to pay. I ask the Minister of State to ensure we work on this with Irish Water.

I welcome the investment in Irish Water. It will play a huge part in the future progress of Ireland, our businesses and our housing. We need to make sure we work together with it and we deliver. Communication is key here.

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