Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)

I welcome the introduction of the Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2025. The Bill represents a crucial step forward in ensuring that access to clean, safe and reliable water remains a fundamental right for all our communities. For too long, residents in areas like Enfield, Clonard, Ballivor and Trim have faced ongoing water outages, with one example of over 300 residents in Clonard relying on water tankers daily.

Recent Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, reports have highlighted serious deficiencies in water infrastructure, revealing the urgent need for reform. Water levels in lakes such as Lough Bane in my area are dropping dramatically and are not keeping pace with increasing demand. During periods of good weather, the situation gets worse and water levels get lower. This has been highlighted with Uisce Éireann by me and the Lough Bane Anglers' Association.

The Bill reaffirms our commitment to improving the quality and resilience of our water services. It is a clear message that water is a public good and not a commodity to be privatised or charged for unfairly.

The proposed legislation aims to ensure Uisce Éireann properly communicates with and supports households and businesses during water outages, an issue that continues to cause severe disruptions in Meath West. Sinn Féin has brought forward this Bill to reflect the deep frustration of impacted communities and to hold Uisce Éireann to account. We need a proactive approach that ensures our water infrastructure is fit for purpose and capable of meeting the demands of our growing population.

This legislation is about safeguarding the fundamental right to reliable water services and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable for failures that have persisted for far too long.

It is time-----

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