Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)

For people who do not understand it, RPZs are rent pressure zones. Where do we go? How did we get here in the first place? We got here because of a lack of infrastructure. What have we done over the past six years? I have been asking our Government to look at development-led infrastructure but what we did was that we set up Irish Water. Irish Water was set up to collect money for existing water products. It was set up to put in meters to collect money from people for the usage of water. It is now a runaway train. There is no accountability and no project is on time or in budget. What do we do to fix it? We go to people who can deliver infrastructure. When they deliver the infrastructure, they are on time and in budget. If they are not, they are out of business because they are not playing with the taxpayers' but playing with their own money. They have to deliver it so they have to make a profit. They can make a profit but we have agencies looking for millions upon millions of euro, even up to a billion euro, from the Government to create infrastructure. If we audit what they are delivering and audit them against international contractors, they deliver 50% less. The Irish taxpayer who pays money for something is not getting value. If they make a mistake, there is no accountability yet they are moved and promoted up the ladder, rather than be told to get out because they cannot do what they are meant to do. Give me somebody who will deliver.

I would like the Minister of State to look at Pallaskenry. I contacted Uisce Éireann regarding 42 houses being built in Pallaskenry to help the Government to meet its housing targets. On the website, it stated that Pallaskenry was a green flag, ready to build. We contacted Uisce Éireann and advised it we had an out-of-date letter for the 42 houses so we could deliver for the people, through the Government. I do not care who delivers them as long as the houses are there. It said it was sorry but it had to do research on the plant. This plant was delivered by a developer who is no longer developing. The 42 houses were being built for the people of the local area to meet the Government's housing target and to put roofs over people's heads.

I will tell the Minister of State how long it took to get an A4 sheet of paper on which all it had to do was change the date. It took 29 emails, 36 phone calls and eight weeks. It said it had to go back and do an analysis on the system. Everyone knows that for a sewerage system, the analysis is done on a weekly basis to know how the plant is working. However, it took that amount of administration, going through all the different layers and going around the house twice, to send us an email with an A4 sheet of paper. How does the Government expect to get delivery at that rate? How does it expect to meet its targets on that basis?

I have offered solutions before. I can stand on this side of the House and criticise all day long. I would be justified in doing that but I am also giving solutions to help the Government to meet its targets. It is one thing to stand here and criticise but another to say you have a solution. The solution here is to dissolve Uisce Éireann, give the water infrastructure back to the local authorities where we had no problems. Get developer-led infrastructure and when it is done, hand it back to the local authorities to maintain it.

Uisce Éireann cannot deliver with the money it is given. There is no accountability and no budget and that is why we are not getting delivery. I want to help the Government. Send me into any of the projects for which it has given the Government the figures and I will offer solutions. The existing plants could be modified to keep going until the Government has the money to invest in them so that we can build more houses on existing systems. I can help to deliver the project on time.

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