James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With your kind permission, a Cheann Comhairle, Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan will be sharing of some of my time.

I appreciate the opportunity to raise issues pertaining to my constituency and nationally relating to Irish Water. In particular, I want to raise the case of what is going on in Ballyhooly, a small village outside of the town of Fermoy. Ballyhooly has had ongoing significant problems with water outages and burst water pipes. I have raised the issue here in the House on multiple occasions. There does not seem to be proper due intervention from Irish water to fix the problem in that community. It has had an adverse impact on the local national school in that it has prevented further development and growth in the area, along with having a serious impact on local residents in the community.

I am also critical of Irish Water's policy relating to what seems to be non-drinkable water around the policy of providing bottled and tanked water to communities where people get reimbursed and then having not safe for consumption rules. Where boil water notices or non-consumption notices are in place, a service should be provided to residents in that area so that they can get water, get access to water or get reimbursed for it. I have come across it time and time again. For in excess of a decade we have been discussing what is going on in Whitegate, Aghada and the rural east Cork water supply away from Ballyhooly for a moment where people have been drawing water in and out from Midleton down to the communities. I am thinking in particular of elderly people and those with mobility concerns. I want to make the case on behalf of them. We are seeing the long overdue intervention that is required.

It should not take more than three or four years from something being identified as an issue to getting Irish Water to intervene. We have had situations dragging out for over a decade in east Cork. This cannot be allowed to persist. It is worth acknowledging the impact that the capital works are having on the lack of housing delivery in rural constituencies. I am from the constituency of Cork East. It is a constituency with eight major towns and a huge cluster of villages. Builders want to have the opportunity to come forward with projects to build ten, 20 or 30 residential homes in those communities. They cannot progress that because they are unable to get access to water supply and wastewater services because of Irish Water's concentration on more urban areas.

We all know the issues with the availability of capital for major housing builds. Rural builders who are rooted in the community in places like Killeagh and Castlemartyr can find workers and labourers from local sporting organisations and local schools who may want to get involved in the building trade to upskill and do their apprenticeships. It provides a supply of workers to the economy to work in construction. It is important to advance wastewater schemes in these rural communities.

I again raise with the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, the issue of Ballyhooly, which must be addressed. I would deeply appreciate if Whitegate, Aghada and all of the areas affected could continue to be prioritised under the new Government.

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