Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is right that we need to invest in our water supply. That is crucial and the examples he gave of water shortages and outages really reinforce that. Our water and wastewater systems require substantial and sustained investment over a number of investment cycles to bring them up to the quality and resilience standards required of a modern service, to provide for population growth and to build resilience in the face of climate change. The Department of local government secured record investment for water services for Uisce Éireann in the period 2021 to 2025, with commitments of almost €6 billion in capital investment, of which more than €4.5 billion will be voted Exchequer funding for domestic water services. This commitment is also reflected in this year's budget, with the Department securing record funding of more than €2.2 billion, including €514 million in terms of the billion equity investment. That is all about giving Uisce Éireann the ability and the investment to be able to meet the cost of delivering water services this year.

It is important for the Deputy's constituents in Clonmel to know that this overall investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and wastewater services.

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