Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Can the Minister of State see the water in the bottle I am holding? It came out of the taps in Cork. People across Cork city have had brown, dirty, black and discoloured water for over a year. Would anyone let members of their family or their kids drink this water? The worst thing about it is that because it is not so black or brown, older people, children and vulnerable people drink it by mistake. They do not take the time to examine it. If you turn on your tap, you have the expectation that you are drinking clean water because in 2024, you should have clean water. However, people in Cork are drinking off, discoloured and dirty water.

I have raised the issue with Uisce Éireann. Hundreds of people have contacted my office, Deputy Ó Laoghaire's office and our Sinn Féin team, including councillors, to complain about the condition and state of the water. We have had questionnaires. Uisce Éireann is talking about a task force and extra flooding. It is doing works, but €20 million was spent on a new water distribution centre in Cork, down the Lee Road, and the water got worse. The Tánaiste will attend the European Council meeting. From 2015 to 2020, the EU provided €15 billion in funding for water quality projects and improvements. The Tánaiste is a Corkman and this is the water we are drinking in Cork. Will he go to Europe and bring back some of that €15 billion so the people of Cork do not have to drink dirty, brown, off-coloured water and so their children can turn on the taps and pour themselves a glass of water? If there is €15 billion available, why is it not coming back here so people have clean drinking water?

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