Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 6: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps he will take in response to the Environmental Protection Agency Report on the Provision and Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland: A report for the years 2007 to 2008, which indicates that almost a third of public water supplies are of poor quality; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18104/09]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 26: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps he has taken to improve the drinking water infrastructure that is not fit for purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18102/09]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 43: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps he will take in response to the Environmental Protection Agency Report on the Provision and Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland: A Report for the Years 2007 to 2008, which, according to the EPA, indicates Ireland needs sustained investment in infrastructure to deliver clean drinking water, this being vital to sustain health and well-being here and for sustainable development of the economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18103/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 120: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the extent to which he proposes or will provide adequate domestic drinking water storage facilities here in the future with particular reference to the need to meet the requirements of the population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18419/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 121: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the extent to which he proposes to provide adequate good quality domestic drinking water on an ongoing basis here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18420/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 26, 43, 120 and 121 together.

As I indicated in reply to Question No. 1, my Department co-ordinates and finances a major programme of investment in improved drinking water supply infrastructure, active leakage control, telemetry and rehabilitation of water mains, on which some €1.6 billion has been invested by the Government in the period since 2000. Substantial additional funding is being provided this year from the total Exchequer provision of €500 million for the water services investment programme. This level of investment reflects the priority assigned by Government to meeting EU standards for drinking water and providing critical water supply infrastructure, which has seen additional drinking water treatment capacity and additional drinking water storage capacity equivalent to the needs of a population of 855,000 and 1.5 million, respectively, provided since 2000.

A rigorous supervisory framework has also been put in place to ensure good quality drinking water is provided and that effective mechanisms are available to deal quickly and effectively with problems where they arise. My Department has also been working closely with water services authorities, who are generally responsible for the management of public drinking water supplies, and the EPA to ensure that the management structures for the supply of drinking water are of the highest standard. The recently published report, The Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland - A Report for the Years 2007 and 2008, shows that overall the quality of our drinking water is good and further progress has been made in improving drinking water quality in recent years. The report shows that monitoring of water supplies increased by 8.1% over 2006 and details the agency's enforcement activities, including the first prosecution of a water services authority under the drinking water regulations of 2007.

The report highlights, however, the need for further improvements if high standards of drinking water quality are to be maintained. It identified a number of public water supplies that require detailed profiling from catchment to consumer to determine whether the supply needs to be replaced or upgraded, or where operational practices need to be improved to ensure that the water supplied to the general public is clean and wholesome. The fact that a water supply is on this list does not necessarily mean that the water produced by the supply is unsafe to drink.

My Department and the EPA developed an action programme in response to a similar remedial action list identified in 2008. In the case of some 60% of the supplies, the safety and security of supply could be addressed through abandonment of existing sources, better operational procedures or relatively small-scale improvements to the treatment processes. I made available a fund of €16 million in 2008 to deal with these small-scale improvements. The balance of the supplies require new or updated infrastructure and these are included in the water services investment programme. My Department will be reviewing the additions to the list in 2009 with the EPA and relevant water services authorities to identify the appropriate solutions in these cases.

I am satisfied that the combination of the rigorous supervisory framework which I have put in place and the resources being devoted to the water services infrastructure will ensure continuous improvement in the quality of our water supply.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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The main progress which has been made with drinking water is that it is now being monitored very substantially by the EPA and we have had reports for the past couple of years. The progress made on the issue has been very slow. There were 339 supplies on the risk list last year with 83 being removed and 62 added. Almost a third of our water supplies are still considered risky by the EPA, meaning there is a problem with the water and something needs to be done by the local authority to take it off the list. It is important to make that point.

With regard to the money that the Minister spoke of investing, is €500 million enough and does he expect that sum to be spent? Will he guarantee that all the money will be spent? In view of the embargo on council staff recruitment, will councils have enough staff to spend the money and will they have the capacity to carry out necessary works?

When the EPA launched the report, it stated there will need to be a corresponding upskilling of those charged with the operation and management of drinking water treatment plants. I presume this referred to both public and private facilities. Do the councils have enough staff with the necessary skills and will the Minister guarantee that by the end of this year, the €500 million will not be left languishing in local authority accounts or not drawn down by local authorities at all?

At a recent conference of architects the Minister stated that domestic water charges were inevitable. I put a question to the Minister last month on whether Ireland had opted out of implementing domestic water charges under European Union law and his reply was that we had. The Minister did not indicate in the reply that he intended to change that and he pointed out how the Local Government (Financial Provisions) Act 1997 removed the authority of water authorities to implement water charges for domestic users. He also indicated there was no requirement for the Government to take steps to opt out of article 9(1) of the water framework directive with regard to the requirement to charge domestic users for water.

Where does the Minister stand on the issue? There is no point in indicating this is the responsibility of the Commission on Taxation and at the same time linking the matter with the quality of water. Water charges are a revenue-raising measure and it is not the way to get funds for water infrastructure. We have an income taxation system which should be operated fairly.

Water is equivalent to a food product in that a third of food products would not be on shelves if they were risky. Unfortunately, this is the case with water. Water is not dispensable; a person can stop eating food for a certain time - people have gone on hunger strike - but we cannot stop drinking water as it is next to the air we breathe in terms of its vital importance to our health and well-being. This is even more relevant for children and elderly people.

If there is a threat of charging for water, there is the possibility that some people who should drink water would restrict their usage. What is the Minister's position on water charges and what does he believe is the right way to proceed?

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The previous reply I gave to the Deputy on the matter is correct. The Deputy put other questions, initially regarding the amount of money involved. The €500 million for 2009 is a substantial amount. Although there has been reference to a reduction of €60 million on the €560 million envisaged in the 2009 Estimates, it should be stated very clearly that the provision represents an increase of 1% on last year's outturn, even taking into account a very difficult economic position. This reflects the Government's ongoing commitment to the water services sector.

This year's provision can be compared to previous years. In 2008 and 2007 the outturn was €496 million, in 2006 it was €465 million and in 2005 it was €419 million. There has been substantial progress and I am very proud, as a Green Party Minister, that we have managed to target that investment on a critical area.

Some €100 million of the €500 million has already been allocated to the water services authorities, mainly for works on group schemes, leaving €400 million for the continued financing of major schemes under the water services investment programme. Investment under the programme will support over 4,000 jobs in the construction sector this year, which is essential, and many additional jobs in the manufacturing and operating areas and maintaining new infrastructure posts.

Although the 2009 provision has been reduced, this must be set against the background of much more competitive tendering. We are getting very good value for money, with up to 20% of a reduction in costs.

The last issue referred to by the Deputy was the public service embargo and the need to upskill staff. There have been some erroneous reports that we are stopping certain recruitment. There was a recent report that lifeguards could no longer be employed but that is untrue. We will ensure that the people required for this very important work will be put in place. The commitment is real and can be seen in the amount of money we will invest.

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I remind the House that a maximum of one minute is allowed for each supplementary question and the same for a ministerial reply. We must stick to that or we will run out of time.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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To return to water charges, I understand the Minister stated to a group of architects or people of a related profession that water charges are inevitable. Why is it inevitable that we will have water charges for household water users?

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I gave an interview after my speech to engineers. I was talking about rainwater harvesting and the recycling of water, which is essential, and the conservation of water.

My comments were made in the context of climate change. The EPA report to which I referred indicates that as a result of climate change there will be higher precipitation in certain areas of the country and drought in others. I clearly indicated that we must ensure we treat water as a valuable resource. Treated water costs money and people in this country are already paying for water. As already stated, there has been no change with regard to the latter. The commercial sector and, quite controversially, schools are paying for water. Some schools have done tremendous work in this area and have reduced their costs to a substantial degree by investing in rainwater harvesting. This underlines the value of the green schools initiative. The investment in this regard was made in the aftermath of direct assistance from my Department. A school can save up to 28,000 litres of water by making the kind of investment to which I refer. We must impress on people the message that water is a resource which must be reserved.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Is the Minister stating that he intends to introduce water charges for domestic users? He should answer yes or no.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I said exactly the opposite. As I informed the Deputy, the reply I gave to her on a previous occasion stands. The position remains the same.

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Very shortly-----

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Is the Deputy happy?

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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No, I am not.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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He is never happy.

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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I am extremely happy, particularly in view of the fact that I hold a seat in Cork South Central.

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I was asking Deputy Tuffy if she is happy.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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I am not really happy.

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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The Minister addressed the Institution of Engineers and flagged as an issue the introduction of domestic water charges. He can make as many statements as he wants at conferences or in schools. However, he is in the House now and he should indicate whether he is in favour of introducing domestic water charges.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The Deputy is being deliberately disingenuous.

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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All I am asking is that the Minister answer the question.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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How unequivocal must I be? All the statements I have made in respect of that matter in the House are completely accurate and they stand. I made reference at the conference in question to the Commission on Taxation, which is considering all of these issues. As matters stand, there is no plan to introduce domestic water rates.