Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Lack of water supply is an issue affecting residents across the country and my constituency of Meath West, particularly in Enfield, Clonard, Ballivor, Trim and surrounding areas. These communities face ongoing water outages that simply cannot be ignored. The Clonard Water Action Group has reached out to me highlighting that more than 300 residents are dealing with daily water shortages and outages relying on water tankers to supply a pumping station. This is something I have highlighted since first being elected to the Dáil in 2020. Recently I received the latest water quality report from the EPA on water supply in Clonard and the wider area. While this report has yet to be published, the findings are deeply concerning. Under the European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations 2023, the EPA is responsible for ensuring the safety and quality of our drinking water. The audit revealed critical deficiencies in Uisce Éireann's performance, particularly in disinfection processes and the resilience of the Abbeyfields water treatment plant. The report calls for immediate action, including investigations into the chlorination system and measures to enhance the plant's capacity. We need to ensure the water leaving our treatment facilities meet safety standards. Without improvements, the health and well-being of our constituents is on the line.

We all know we need more housing but if infrastructure such as water treatment or wastewater treatment plants are not fit for purpose and cannot cope with increasing demand, this will affect housing supply. That has happened in many towns and villages across Ireland holding up housing developments. We need investment in water services through general taxation or Apple's €14 billion, which the Government did not want to take.

While communities in Meath struggle to get basic water services, the Government parties are quietly pushing for the introduction of water charges. If they tell the people of Meath it is charging for water, they will tell them where to go. The ongoing outages over the years in Enfield, Clonard, Ballivor and Trim further illustrate that this is not just a localised issue. It is a widespread problem. If the Government truly intends to abandon water charges, why does it not show its commitment by supporting the Sinn Féin Bill that would eliminate any possibility of charging for water? The people of Meath West are tired of unreliable water services and the threat of being charged for the privilege of receiving water that should be a basic human right. Many people go home after a long day's work to find they cannot shower or even make a cup of tea due to their water being turned off on a regular basis.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael cannot be trusted on this issue. Their history suggests that they may seek to reintroduce charges under the guise of excessive use. This legislation must be scrapped once and for all to protect our communities. Moreover if the Government genuinely wishes to keep our water services in public ownership, a referendum is needed to assure residents that the water network will not fall into private hands. If the Government is worried about excessive water use, it should fix the broken pipes and all the leaks across the country.

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