Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I commend the Deputy on raising this issue. I agree that Dáil Éireann is the forum to raise infrastructural issues and indeed issues that really impact on people in the Deputy's locality like the elderly gentleman that he referenced in his opening contribution and the effects on his life of having no power and water for a protracted period of time. It is important that Uisce Éireann gets on with its investment programme. From the reply, I note it is assessing the upgrade and the capacity at that location. That is included in the assessment being done in the county. I will relay that and the Deputy's other comments to Uisce Éireann.

He is absolutely right in saying that Dáil Éireann is here to hold the Government to account. Deputies have to hold us to account. We all have to serve our constituents to the best of our ability and water infrastructure is a vital utility in that regard. We have seen what lack of investment in the past has meant for localities in terms of leakage and pressure points where raw sewage has been discharged into freshwater courses and all the work that has to be done to resolve that. We have a significant programme of work. I know Uisce Éireann is getting on with that work. This is absolutely the right place to raise it. I will raise it with the Minister to ensure that the Deputy gets the investment that is needed to rectify those problems in the future.

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