Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Our spokesperson, Deputy Ó Broin, has laid out the national picture and the challenges we face. I am going to take this opportunity to speak about the experience on the ground in Donegal and offer some constructive criticism of Uisce Éireann but also address some challenges for the Government. I will start with our major town, Letterkenny. We want to develop Letterkenny into a city. We want to join Letterkenny with Derry and Strabane - we already talk about the north-west city region - and to attract all the investment and infrastructure that comes with that. The development of Letterkenny is crucial to that vision. There is no doubt that Uisce Éireann, given the lack of resourcing from Government, is a huge barrier to doing that.

I am sure that senior management in Uisce Éireann will be listening to or watching back on this debate. I ask them to understand that they need to work in partnership with Donegal County Council and local public representatives, and also with developers. They have a vision and a plan, but it will be orderly, sustainable and part of a planned approach. There is a huge frustration with Uisce Éireann. Of course, that is because it is not resourced properly or structured properly to facilitate that level of vision being operational. There is a lack of joined-up thinking.

I also want to talk about the Inishowen peninsula. At the heart of the Inishowen peninsula is the Eddie Fullerton dam, which is named after my late, great colleague, Councillor Eddie Fullerton. That was his vision. It is a massive water supply. It was resourced because it would supply water not just to Inishowen but, at the time, to the Laggan desert, as it was called, in east Donegal, and to Letterkenny. That is happening. However, it is unacceptable that communities in Clonmany, Carndonagh and north Inishowen do not have the proper water infrastructure. Right now, housing developments are being turned down in places like Carndonagh and Moville because of the water and wastewater deficits. Particularly when we have the Eddie Fullerton dam, it is not acceptable that this would happen.

I am asking that Uisce Éireann would have a direct representative for people to speak to in every county, and in somewhere like Donegal there should be two. There should be someone people can speak to if their water pipes burst or there are ongoing problems. We should not have to send emails. We should not be treated like it is a corporate structure that is at arm’s length. This is a crucial public body. I urge that the level of accountability and the culture changes, and changes very quickly.

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