Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Government, I extend my sympathies to the family and friends of former Deputy Cott on this occasion.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of providing safe drinking water in east Cork, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Safe and secure drinking water is an issue of both national and local importance. I appreciate the Deputy’s concerns for the communities in Whitegate, County Cork and the surrounding areas affected by the boil water notice. The Deputy will appreciate that the operation of Whitegate regional public water supply is a matter for Uisce Éireann, which, since 1 January 2014, has had statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local level. In turn, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, as environmental regulator, is responsible for setting quality standards and enforcing compliance with EU directives and national regulations for the provision of drinking water. The Minister has made inquiries with Uisce Éireann; I understand that the boil water notice currently in place for the Whitegate public water supply was issued following consultation between Uisce Éireann, Cork County Council and the Health Service Executive. Uisce Éireann is pursuing a permanent solution to address the frequent boil water notices the people of East Cork have experienced over the last number of years. This involves a major upgrade of the water treatment plant. A contractor has been appointed to undertake the design and construction, land has been acquired and a planning application was submitted by Uisce Éireann in January 2023.

Planning permission was approved by Cork County Council in May 2023. However, appeals of that decision have been lodged with An Bord Pleanála.

The proposed works will include a new coagulation, flocculation and clarification system, a new filtration system and a new disinfection system. Significant upgrades will also be made to other aspects of the Kilva water treatment plant site.

The EPA will ensure that the new plant meets all applicable standards before this supply is removed from the EPA's remedial action list.

The Department's priority is to ensure that people's health is protected and that adequate water is available for all consumers. We all want to see this notice lifted without undue delay, but only when the HSE and the EPA have confirmed that the water supply is safe.

Additional information and advice relating to boil water notices are available on Uisce Éireann's website, water.ie, or by calling Uisce Éireann's 24-hour customer care line on 1850 278 278.

As part of budget 2023, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, secured funding of over €1.65 billion to support water services. That included €1.56 billion in respect of domestic water services provision by Uisce Éireann. This overall investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and wastewater services, support improved water supplies right across Ireland, including in rural Ireland, and support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in our rivers, lakes and marine area. This will make a significant contribution to addressing Ireland's needs.

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