Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have listened with interest to all the comments throughout the day. If there is anyone from Irish Water listening, I will not take from their woes or suggest it is better than what has been suggested. However, I preface my remarks by saying my engagement with the Irish Water representatives on the ground, when it comes to dealing with local, small issues, has been quite positive. That is against the background that I would know these individuals and I respect them hugely for their speedy responses in times of need.

I want to bring to the attention of the Minister of State a situation that is ongoing for quite some time. A lovely, elderly lady, a widow, had a water connection from a group water scheme for donkey's years - 20 odd years. She lives on the outskirts of Tuam and has a modest bungalow. As a consequence of the way things progressed, that group water scheme transferred that asset over to Uisce Éireann upon which she discovered a chronic lack of water pressure so much so - and we are not getting glorious summers or anything like that - that each time there was any kind of pressure on the system, whether from extreme frost, very warm temperatures or water leakages, that poor lady had to climb into the attic to fill the tank so she could have the dignity of having a shower. I find it unbelievable to think that in 2025, that lady finds herself in a scenario like that.

Let me fast forward. In my previous role as a local representative on Galway County Council, I brought her situation and plight to the attention of water services. It is fair to say they had a lot of sympathy for her and did their utmost to identify what the problems were and how it could be resolved, and I respect them for that. The lady herself was very pleased the officials met her and promised something would happen.

What was to happen, however, was that the water services were to engage with the representatives of Irish Water and Irish Water was to put it into its capital plan - in other words, bring a new connection from the main road to her bungalow, a distance of roughly 120 m. That is a brand-spanking-new connection and it would not require even a road crossing. It would require a road opening licence and would bring a new two-inch water service past her house. That would service the family house, her son's house across the road. There is also an agriculture connection. Irish Water, however, in its wisdom - I do not know why - has decided that this is not its responsibility because it has inherited this asset. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. I have an email the poor lady sent me on 20 February pleading that something be done about her situation. We are all very much aware of how things were so challenging for us in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn, when we had to find alternative sources of water. That was temporary; it was a couple of days. For this poor family, however, this poor woman, it is every single day of the week and every day of the year. There must be some mechanism whereby Irish Water can prioritise or look sympathetically, on a humanitarian level, at her situation. This requires this poor woman to get a water connection in order that she can function and her house can have the benefit of a shower, whether it be pump or electric. That is a gospel-true story; it is not made up.

See this speech in context