Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I spent 22 years in sewerage and water so I know the craic on it. My area has Whitegate oil refinery, the power station and the gas station. There are alternative water sources of water and I am wondering why Uisce Éireann did not look at those as an alternative or short-term fix. One line could be tapped into the other. The area where the problem is could be blanked off and flushed and another water supply could be tapped into. That is just a suggestion.

I thank the Minister of State for the answer and I know where it is coming from and that she is only here on behalf of the Minister. However, as I have said, it is going on for seven years. In two weeks' time it will be seven years, on and off. It is worse than a light switch, and a bad one at that.

The Minister of State now understands where the frustration is. People understand it takes time for progress. That is fair but the Minister of State mentioned communication, which is shocking. When there is no communication, one gets rumours. When one gets rumours, one will get no clarification. Then it starts to fester. That is when people lose faith.

I stated that there is no mention of reimbursement for the cost of buying any of the water. Many of these businesses are paying rates. I suspect the local authority is still collecting rates on it. Many of the businesses are left to their own devices. People have no information and there is no assistance. Some people feel there is no hope.

People are told there is information on the website. Many of these people are elderly. It is a rural area. One does not have top-class broadband everywhere. It does not make sense. It is necessary to go back to what we do when we go knocking at the door, to call to them the same as the postman.

What I would say on behalf of the people of east Cork is that everywhere there are boil water notices they want answers and assistance. They want clarity. They do not want constant bad news. They certainly do not want to wake up every few weeks to a press release, saying that this is the first they have heard of it again. This is not the way to treat people. The Minister of State will be aware that when one rubs people the wrong way, one is walking oneself into trouble and into a battle. I would love to get clarity on this.

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