Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I hear the Minister of State say that Uisce Éireann has not heard anything and knows nothing about this. I did mention to him that it is Kerry County Council that has the responsibility in the first place for group water schemes and to administer those schemes. I am kind of amazed that Kerry County Council has not liaised with Uisce Éireann in this case, but the facts are as I have outlined to the Minister of State very clearly. These people, especially those in Lyracrumpane, applied back in 2022 and they failed to get it going. The Minister of State said there is a grant of up to €15,000, but he never said there is a minimum requirement of having 25 houses. What about the seven, five and 18 houses I have mentioned? There are several others like them. The smaller number must be considered as well, and 18 is almost there in my book, but we cannot have that everywhere.

I am amazed also that Irish Water is not aware of the pressure problems up in the higher areas of Castleisland. I know it is doing works, but that is going a different way. It is going into the town, where there was a massive amount of breaks from Ballymacadam and down through the Main Street in Castleisland. That is dealing with a different issue, but the areas up in Crag have no drop of water for half the summer every year. I am asking the Department to go back and get Kerry County Council to liaise with Irish Water if that makes a difference. However, it is Kerry County Council that is responsible for the group water scheme and its provision and to make it more friendly for the people who need water to do something. This minimum of 26 houses cannot be entertained when five or seven houses and 18 houses do not have any water and where their wells went wrong. These people have done everything possible. They have drilled wells in different places and so on and they do not have drinking water at present. I am asking the Minister of State to do something about this in this Government's time.

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