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

I want also to talk on this subject today, and I am sure the Minister of State will be aware of the concerns I have.

6 o’clock

I am sure he has heard them as well, being a Deputy from my constituency. I will discuss water quality. I recently visited someone in the hospital in Kilkenny. Ninety percent of the time I was there, the patients were getting bottled water. I do not know whether it is because of Covid, health and safety or a water issue. I have not heard anything about it. This is happening at a time when we are trying to eliminate the use of plastics and there is a cost issue as well. Are we using bottled water in a lot of places? Is this part of the Government plan? Will the Minister of State check that out for me? I do understand if it is a health and safety issue, particularly in hospitals.

Turbidity issues are affecting treatment processes at the water treatment plant in Kilkenny, which has resulted in a very long boil water notice in Castlecomer recently. Residents wrote to me complaining that the water quality is still no better after the lifting of the notices. One couple who told me they had built a new home within the past two years have paid roughly €5,000 for water and wastewater connection along with all associated contributions to the local authority but have not yet had a consistent clean supply of water during that time. My understanding is that Irish Water is not providing clear updates and it appears that the current supply has eroded pipes as the colour of the water can sometimes be musty. The parents of a newborn baby who had to bottle feed for medical reasons told me they had to buy bottled water because they felt there was an issue with the water. They also told me that when they were bathing their baby, they thought the water colour was a bit off.

When we talk about water quality, we must talk about septic tanks. I have brought forward an important Bill for householders who are excluded from the support for the maintenance and repair of septic tanks because they did not register the septic tank, which costs €50. A good few people from Carlow contacted me about this. Originally, when a person had to contact the local authority, he or she had to register your septic tank. I know it went on for months. I think it was originally €25 and ended up being €50, which on the scale of things, is doable for people. However, I know of a lot of people who, through no fault of their own, did not register. Perhaps they did not get the information. They did not see it in the newspaper. I have constantly gone to the local authority but I cannot blame it because this must be changed through legislation. I got a Bill together, brought it to the House and am still waiting to take it further.

I will discuss two cases with which I have dealt. In the first case, I really felt for the couple. A mature couple came to see me about six months ago. Again, they had not registered so I went to the council. Again, I cannot blame the council because legislation needs to be passed here. The man got a price for his septic tank of in or around €9,000. I cannot quite remember because it was a few months ago. He told me he would have to sell his car because he did not have the money to put in a new septic tank because he would not get the grant because he did not register with Carlow County Council. That is criminal. It is unacceptable when we are in a climate emergency, when we are trying to encourage people not to pollute and telling them always to be mindful of where they are and what they do, that I have this case. Another case involves a lovely lady who only has one income coming in. Again, she did not register. She had to borrow the money from the credit union and her family to get a new septic tank and all the works associated with it. It is unacceptable that we cannot get a grant for people who have not registered with their own local authority. I am sure this is the case throughout the country.

The Minister of State is in the same constituency as me - Carlow-Kilkenny - and I am sure he has cases in Kilkenny. Every week, I try to put the legislation in to get it moving faster but I feel we need to do things locally. When we want climate action, we must do it locally for the people we represent. Genuine good people in my constituency are trying to do everything by the book but they cannot afford a new septic tank and cannot get a grant for it. Will the Minister of State make this a priority? I know he will. I will have a meeting with him next week on that because it is important.

My understanding is that means testing is not used when it comes to upgrades to septic tanks in high-status water body areas. This is another thing that needs to be looked at. We have all seen the report last week. It is a concern for us. Water is so important. I welcome the fact that, last week, we got word of different areas that got funding for wastewater. Tullow, Killerig and Grange in County Carlow got €3.5 million, which I was delighted about. That was really good for them. We are doing good work.

In addition to agriculture, poorly functioning septic tanks have been found to be a main pressure on water quality. In 40 areas, they were considered to be the only cause of water pollution, so this is not just a once-off house with one problem. Local authorities inspect septic tanks and, every year, roughly half of those inspected fail according to the figures from the EPA. In the scheme that needs to be brought in, there needs to be a maximum grant of up to €10,000 or 85% of the cost for all householders with defective septic tanks or in a private wastewater system, and this should apply to all grants. I am here to see what we can do with these issues. Again, I am sure they are found throughout the country but I seem to see more cases in my constituency recently. It is a concern for me. I will come back to the Minister on this. Climate is so important for all of us but water quality has to be an issue. We all depend on water. In recent months, we have seen so much change in the weather. I am sure the Minister of State has seen it as well. June has been such a warm month, and when we have rain, it is nearly torrential, so you can see things starting to change. I have seen it and I am sure the Minister of State and other Deputies have seen it as well. I will come back to the Minister of State on this. I really believe we need to do something here. There must be grace for those who did not register their septic tanks with the local authorities and they must be allowed to receive the grant because, if not, we will be causing bigger problems down the line.

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