Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I raised three issues within Uisce Éireann. Regarding the generators, there was not even a switchover point in many of the plants that are there at the moment. If there was a switchover point and the emergency struck, they could bring a mobile unit in. Without it, they could not even plug it in. It is an astonishing situation. Apparently there are employees full time to organise this for the last number of years. The people of Ireland are calling out for accountability. I have asked the Minister for her solution for the people across the length and breadth of Ireland who have raw sewage pouring into their communities, but the answer she gave me will not be good enough for me to bring back to my communities to prove that they could at least get a date as to when works will start. That is the most important thing here. If we could get a date, it would solve a lot of the issues going forward. People would know even if was in three or five years' time. When you sit down with Uisce Éireann, you do not know if is it ten or 20 years' time; you only end up with a whole load of waffle talk. I have named many communities in west Cork but this is a national crisis that we have shut a blind eye to. All of this has happened while all parties here, outside of Independent Ireland, read out unachievable targets. What do I say to the people of Goleen waiting 26 years, those in Ballydehob waiting 15 years, in Rosscarbery or Dunmanway waiting ten years or in Shannonvale waiting 27 years?

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