Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I know responsibility lies with Irish Water. However, as we have all experienced, we can make the necessary representations through the Oireachtas liaison channels but sometimes the focus of the Dáil on the issue helps to sharpen attention and that is what I hope to do this evening. The Minister of State did more or less what I did in my initial contribution; he outlined the problem and he identified where the problems are. The people of Lismore, Tallow, Cappoquin and Ballyduff are more interested in knowing when the problem will be fixed because we know what the problem is.

We know that people do not especially like spending money on water infrastructure. First, they have to dig up the place to put the pipes in and people do not much like that. It also causes disruption to their water supply and people do not much like that either. After spending all of the money, they bury it and nobody can see it. However, it has the benefit of allowing these communities to grow. The Minister of State mentioned Athlone in his constituency. What is holding back towns and villages throughout Waterford and across the country is the infrastructure. There are great opportunities for these towns and villages to grow and thrive. We are seeing significant investment in public transport which is helping to connect these towns and villages together in the way that we have not seen before.

Places like Tallow have put in co-working spaces trying to draw jobs back into the community. We have seen really progressive ideas in Lismore, Cappoquin and Villierstown which are giving people opportunities in the communities where they grew up. However, in order to allow these places to thrive, flourish and provide a way of living in our countryside that is in keeping with our environmental concerns and bring people back into our towns and villages supporting our local services through population, we need investment in infrastructure. I would like a timeline to know when exactly that will happen.

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