Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The first Topical Issue is in the names of Deputies Eoin Ó Broin, Thomas Byrne, John Lahart, Dessie Ellis, Jim O'Callaghan, John Curran, Darragh O'Brien, Louise O'Reilly and Barry Cowen. We will commence with the first named, Deputy Eoin Ó Broin.

Each Deputy will have two minutes. In view of the fact that there are so many, I would like them to observe the two minutes limit.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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I pay tribute to the water services staff who, as we are all aware and as we speak, are out working exceptionally hard to bring the water system back into proper order. I also want to say at the outset that I fully understand the scale of the weather event and the impact that would always have had on the water system.

Today, as it stands, 1.2 million people in the greater Dublin area are affected by water reductions and outages, 20,000 households outside the greater Dublin area are without water, another 47,000 have reduced supply, and thousands of households are affected by boil-water notices. I am concerned by the lack of adequate forewarning, particularly in those higher risk areas where the headroom is so low. If people had been given earlier warnings prior to the event, they could have made greater efforts to prepare for the worst.

There also was a lack of consideration of emergency supply, also particularly in those areas that were likely to be worst affected in the worst case scenario. I note, for example, some local authorities in London put in place emergency supplies in advance for those areas that they anticipated would be affected by water outages.

There is a huge amount of misrepresentation about the cause of the current supply problem, particularly in Dublin. This is not directed at any political party - it is more at some sections of the commentariat. One would think that the entire city and surrounding counties had been leaving on their taps for days on end to avoid leakages when, in fact, both Mr. Gerry Grant and his senior colleagues have made it clear that the primary problem here is serious leakages caused by the weather event in the public system as well as difficulties in a number of the reservoirs.

Does the Minister accept specifically in relation to the water issue that more preparation could have been done? What is he doing to ensure such disruption is kept as short as possible? Will the Minister review the capital investment programme for Irish Water to ensure that increased investment is provided next year to tackle the decrepit nature of the infrastructure?

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle as ucht an deis a thabhairt domsa labhairt faoi fhadhb an uisce i mo Dáilcheantar inniu. We have a very serious problem with water.

I join in the tributes paid to Mr. Gerry Grant and his team in Irish Water. They have been working hard all weekend to try to resolve issues.

There is a particular issue in my constituency. The Minister will be aware of the Staleen water treatment plant. He visited it last summer, when there was a major water crisis in east Meath. It was clear then that the Staleen treatment plant was not fit for purpose. While some work has happened since that crisis last summer and there is major pipework between Drogheda and Duleek, the towns of Ratoath and Ashbourne are at the end of that Staleen line and are subject to ongoing problems. These manifested again this weekend because they are at the end of that line. The Staleen treatment plant between Louth and Meath covers 86,500 people, from almost Clogherhead down to Ashbourne and Ratoath. Those towns are at the end of the line and if there is a fault in Staleen, it manifests itself in a much worse way at the end of the line in Ashbourne and Ratoath. One alternative that has been suggested but is not, unfortunately, in Irish Water's capital plan, is running a pipe between Dunshaughlin, where there is a relatively new water tower, and Ratoath. There is adequate capacity at Dunshaughlin and there is a small pipe already covering Ratoath from Dunshaughlin. It is estimated that the project would only cost €4 million and would solve the problem for both the current residents and the potential 760 houses that are due to go into Ratoath under land that is currently zoned and subject to planning permissions.

Something needs to be done on this issue. This small investment, in relative terms, needs to be carried out to ensure an adequate water supply for Ratoath so that the people do not have to continue to put up with the interruptions they have because of the outdated network. This is a small investment that would add to a much bigger investment that was made approximately ten years ago in Dunshaughlin.

Work needs to be done in Ashbourne to ensure that the water gets up to hilly areas, particularly in the Racehill area. That is a relatively small investment also and I appeal to the Minister for it on behalf of my constituents.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I join my colleagues in thanking Irish Water, particularly the managing director and his team, for the sterling work they have done during the weather event over the past week, and particularly the works that were contracted out to the local authorities, which were working 24 hours a day.

It is worth noting also that while all the good and positive news was being announced via the strategic communications unit with the Taoiseach flanked by Defence Forces and An Garda Síochána personnel, the bad news was delivered by Mr. Gerry Grant, who had to stand by himself and cut a very lonely figure talking about water restrictions.

This issue is becoming a nightmare for some people, who have been in contact with all of us. My constituents in Dublin South-West had been warned of restrictions but they had not been warned that the water would be cut off. This has happened in a number of areas in my constituency.

As the Minister will be aware, close to 1.5 million people in Dublin are affected by the restrictions that are running from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. I welcome the change, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., because it facilitates families and working people who are returning in the evening.

The position is particularly fraught in relation to schools and businesses which do not have running water, particularly cafés and shops. People are manically checking taps during the day. It is affecting mothers with babies, families with special needs and particularly older people. The mountains region in my constituency, including Bohernabreena and Glenasmole, was particularly affected over the weekend during the weather event.

Irish Water needs to improve its communications. We need to know how long the restrictions will last, when a restriction means a cut-off, what the issue is with the algae and Vartry, and what immediate actions are being taken by Irish Water to remedy the situation.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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We have had unprecedented weather conditions over the past week. Alerts that were sent out in the media by the National Emergency Co-ordination Group have certainly saved lives. Services, including the Garda Síochána, ambulance crews, the fire brigade, local authority staff, hospital staff, the Army and so many more, all did their best and deserve great praise in dealing with emergencies as they arose.

Volunteers and citizens came to the assistance of the old, the young and the vulnerable in any way they could. Myself and Sinn Féin volunteers across Dublin North-West were out helping our communities, especially the elderly, in whatever way we could. Homeless outreach workers and volunteers also worked tirelessly helping people to find accommodation and delivering supplies and meals.

The Minister can appreciate that even under normal conditions life on the street is tough for the homeless but in extreme weather conditions, it is horrendous. That is why in times like this they need all the help they can get. Therefore, I was shocked to learn that the Capuchin Day Centre in Bow Street had no water and was unable to provide showers for the homeless or give a cup of tea, or even a cup of hot soup. Are the homeless not punished enough? Surely such organisations should have an emergency supply of water.

The Irish Water statement suggesting that there would be reductions in water pressure in Dublin for a set period, was misleading because some areas, in fact, had no water supplies and were cut off. This constant shortage of water, whether through burst pipes or hot weather, needs to be addressed.

For over ten years when I was a councillor, we heard about plans to pipe water up to Dublin via the midlands from the Shannon. The next crisis will be hot weather. We have had this extreme weather and now we will face the next crisis with hot weather.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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It is the first opportunity I have had to speak in this House since the weather event took place. First, I commend all those involved in the emergency services on their valiant efforts over the past week or so. I commend the members of the National Emergency Co-ordination Committee and the emergency services.

I want to say a few words on behalf of Irish Water, a statutory body which has come in for a lot of criticism in recent years. My experience, and that of people working in my office, is that it is a very efficient body which has been very responsive to requests we make on behalf of constituents. I have found it very efficient and effective in answering the concerns raised by me and, indeed, other public representatives.

The Minister will be aware that the weather has had a significant effect on the water supply in the constituency, Dublin Bay South, we both represent. I have been contacted by people from Ringsend, Irishtown, Rathgar and the inner city to complain not simply that water is being restricted at certain times but also that they do not have water at all. People are prepared to accept that after a severe weather event there will be consequences for infrastructure such as the water supply. What they find increasingly difficult to accept is inadequate communication in respect of what is happening. It is extremely important that if their water supply is going to be cut off in the next few days, people need to be told about it and given adequate notice. People can cope with these situations provided they are given sufficient notice. Unfortunately, that has not been the case in large parts of the constituency. People have not been apprised of the fact that their water will be cut off completely. I have had a number of people contact my office to discuss the difficulties they are having with the water supply in Terenure, on Temple Road and in Irishtown. It is also a matter of concern to me, as it will be for the Minister, that schools in the constituency have closed. Scoil Bhríde had to close as did St. Louis high school in Rathmines. I ask for further updated information so that people are fully aware of the consequences of this weather event.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I preface my remarks by acknowledging the extraordinary work undertaken by the men and women of our emergency services and the staff of local authorities and other agencies who have had a very challenging time over the past few days. They have operated very effectively. That said, 1.2 million people in the greater Dublin area are affected by water shortages and restrictions. While I acknowledge that it was intended or at least advertised that it was restrictions which would be put in place, for many people it has become an actual cutting off of water. The debate has not been helped by the impression being given that it is the result of people leaving taps running. It is not fair to say that today people are using more water in their own homes than they were on Wednesday of last week. The bulk of the problem affecting us now is the direct result of increased leaks, both large leaks and a number of minor ones. It is not helping the debate at all to indicate that families are leaving taps to run and so forth when there is no evidence of that.

As I said, it was indicated that restrictions would be put in place but the reality is that when the pressure is turned down, the water is off for a number of hours. I acknowledge the change in time back to 6 a.m., particularly as it takes a number of hours before the water comes back to the tap after the flow is increased. A gentleman in Harelawn told me that when the water was turned on at 7 a.m. on the first morning, it did not arrive at his taps until 9 a.m. Changing the time makes a big difference. The major concern is the uncertainty regarding this issue. Irish Water has indicated that there may be a problem requiring restrictions for several months in the Dublin area. I ask the Minister to work with Irish Water to provide whatever additional resources are necessary to address the problems that have been caused as a direct result of the recent severe weather and, in the longer term, to build that into the future capital programme.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Members have been exemplary thus far in keeping to the time.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I will try not to change that. Like my colleagues, I recognise fully, respect and thank all of those workers who worked diligently over the last week or so as well as those who are working now to get our water supply back up and running. This needs a whole-of-Government approach. I was struck during Storm Emma by the number of Ministers who joined the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, who was rightly there, at the national co-ordination group to stand beside him on television and be part of the news and information which was very important and, in the main, accurate. I want to ensure now that the Minister will not be left on his own in circumstances where that whole-of-Government approach is required.

I support Deputy Curran completely. In my own area of Dublin Fingal, thousands of people face water restrictions. Their frustration is about information. For example, I have had a number of complaints from people in Skerries where a notice of low water pressure has in fact meant zero supply. Information is key so that people can plan. Timeframes are needed. I was concerned when I heard on the radio this morning that this situation may carry on for a number of weeks. We need to get an idea of the work that needs to be done to re-establish a full supply and an indication of how long it will take. I ask the Minister not to forget our emergency services, particularly Dublin Fire Brigade. I am sure he will not. I have had requests from the fire brigade service in my constituency for additional water tankers just in case the supply is cut off unexpectedly. In fairness, I acknowledge how responsive Irish Water and Fingal County Council were when I requested that a water tanker be located at Swords fire station earlier today. The station covers an area the size of a city.

We want to work with the Minister and all agencies to ensure the water supply is reestablished as quickly as possible. I ask the Minister to address the timeframe for the full restoration of the supply in Dublin and other parts of the country.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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I join others in paying tribute to emergency services staff for the sterling work they did throughout Storm Emma and its aftermath and, in particular, the staff of Irish Water and Fingal County Council who were fantastic. They gave entirely of their own time and were exemplary in how they carried out their work. Unfortunately, we have experienced a thaw in the aftermath of the storm and I have been contacted by constituents. My neighbours in Skerries are very concerned not so much about water restrictions but about the fact that they now have no water or any idea of when it will be restored. They are going back and forth to their houses to check the taps and they are finding it impossible to plan. It is difficult for Deputies to get information on their behalf. They want to know when they will be able to access water and when the supply will be restored. They need information.

Last night, I was contacted by a family from St. Patrick's Close who were at pains to point out that they had not left their taps running. They were worried that somehow the impression might be given that they had contributed to this, which they clearly had not. They had not left their taps running and they were anxious to know when they would get some water back. They were told that they had water and were in an area where only restrictions applied, but they were standing by the tap and no water was coming out. We need to improve the communication and information being provided to people. If this is going to continue for a number of weeks, the fair thing to do is to let people know when restrictions will be in place, when the water will be off and when they can reasonably expect to have their supply restored. They want to plan and to know if they have to come home in the middle of the day to fill the bath and do other practical things.

Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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This event has created a great strain on many public services and Irish Water and its staff are no different. We commend them on and thank them for their ongoing work and efforts to address the leaks to which my colleagues have referred. At a recent meeting of our joint committee, Mr. Grant informed the members that Irish Water had learned a great deal from Storm Ophelia and the crisis in Drogheda and east Meath and that it had put storm planning and procedures in place should the company be tested in that way again. I wonder if that was the case given the haphazard way in which people have been communicated with on outages. I seek an assurance that this will be addressed in the coming days and that other emergency services and facilities will not be left without a supply which is adequate to meet their demands. I have also written to the energy regulator, which has responsibility in this area, to request an independent assessment to ensure that any failings in recent weeks, however minor, are corrected and that a proper plan is put in place to deal with similar events in future. I hope the Minister concurs with that approach.

Part of the compromise the Dáil agreed in respect of the Water Services Act and the funding of water services into the future was a requirement to improve the transparency and accountability associated with Irish Water through the establishment of a water advisory board.

There has been no progress to date in that regard. If a board were in place today, the public interest would be well served by adequate representation to ensure issues such as this are dealt with properly, effectively and appropriately. The public would be in a position to respect the workings and ongoing efforts on the part of Irish Water. Could we have an update on the process? When will the board put in place? It is based on a direction of the Dáil. I hope the Government will not be any slower in adhering to such a direction.

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for raising this critical issue and providing me with the opportunity to outline the position regarding the issues concerning water supplies in the eastern region in the aftermath of Storm Emma. This was a severe weather event, on a par with events in 1982, 1962-63 and 1947. It has had a significant impact on the water network around the country through power outages and the extreme cold has damaged water treatment plants and has led to significant bursts in pipes. The condition of our legacy water-supply pipe network, particularly in Dublin, where the average age of the network is 80 years, has contributed to the widespread outages and water restrictions experienced by customers all over the country.

I acknowledge the inconvenience that disruptions to water supplies mean for customers and I thank them for their forbearance. Every effort is being made to minimise the impact and to prioritise hospitals and daytime usage. I acknowledge the efforts of all the workers involved in Irish Water and local authorities and contractors, who are working so hard to restore supplies as quickly as possible.

Over the course of the past few days, water outages related to power outages have been largely resolved due to co-ordinated work between Irish Water, ESB Networks and local authorities. Irish Water crews have been mobilised across Dublin and around the country to make the necessary repairs at plants and to fix bursts. Significant progress is being made. There are 30 repair crews on the ground finding and fixing leaks in the greater Dublin area. For example, in Dublin three major bursts, in the north docklands, Infirmary Road and Skerries, were wasting the equivalent of the daily water usage of Balbriggan, which has a population of about 25,000 people. These have now been repaired.

In the greater Dublin area, Irish Water saw an increase of more than 10% in the call on normal treated water supplies from Friday, 2 March to Sunday, 4 March. On Monday, 5 March, this increase equated to 28 Ml, which is the equivalent of the daily usage of the population of Cork city. Despite plants working at peak output, storage of water in the reservoirs was significantly depleted. The call on water supplies continues to rise while reservoir levels are low. The decision to impose restrictions across the Dublin network from Monday evening was one that was not taken lightly but Irish Water needed to ensure the city continued to function. The nature and duration of restrictions are being kept under review to minimise the impact on customers, with more targeting and lesser durations yesterday evening.

The difficulties arising from this severe weather event underscore the impacts of historical underinvestment in this vital infrastructure. Investment is being made now to improve the resilience of the entire network on a prioritised basis, to maximise the capacity within the region and to bring a new source of water on stream for the eastern and midlands regions. Some €8.5 billion has been identified in our national development plan — Project 2040. As part of this process, some €680 million will be invested by Irish Water this year, a substantial increase on the €527 million invested in 2017. The national development plan investment includes the new eastern-midlands water supply project, which is currently at the planning stage, and a greater Dublin area - Kildare, south Dublin, Fingal, Dublin city, Meath and Wicklow – leakage-reduction plan. Also included are the Vartry water treatment plant upgrade, the Saggart resource upgrade, the Stillorgan reservoir upgrade, and the Peamount to Saggart trunk main works.

As regards any immediate investment required, any additional costs that are incurred during such events can be recovered by Irish Water through the normal regulatory process. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities, as independent economic regulator of Irish Water, will as part of the normal process to approve revenues for Irish Water, conduct a detailed review of all costs, capital and operational, incurred by Irish Water directly due to such exceptional events. The process of reviewing and approving costs for Irish Water is similar to that which applies to ESB Networks and Gas Networks Ireland as they are also regulated utilities.

Across the country, Irish Water is now dealing with a range of issues, ranging from difficulties with raw water quality and the impact of severe weather on infrastructure to some isolated issues of contamination. As a consequence, some 12,000 people on the Fethard public water supply are on a do-not-drink notice due to hydrocarbon contamination; some 5,400 people currently have no water, down from 11,000 yesterday; a further 12,600 people are on storm-related boil-water notices due to the impact of Storm Emma, down from 14,500 yesterday; and outside the greater Dublin area, GDA, some 35,100 people are on water restrictions, down from 39,000 yesterday.

Irish Water is seeing improvements in many of these areas and, with the exception of the Fethard and the greater Dublin area supplies, expects that most issues will be resolved by the end of the week. Irish Water has been working as part of the national emergency co-ordination group, NECG, and in partnership with local authorities around the country to minimise the risk to customers and restore full supply. I thank those involved in the recovery effort across the country and thank citizens for their forbearance as we recover from this event. I note the thanks to Irish Water by Deputies in this Chamber, which I know will be welcome to Irish Water.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We will have another round, but this time Deputies will have one minute each.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister although we already got most of the information he gave us from Irish Water by email in the past few hours.

The core issue is that the Government knows that in Dublin, for example, there is limited excess capacity in the system. The questions most Deputies have asked have not been answered. Why was more notice not given to households in the areas at most risk? What measures were implemented to ensure an emergency supply, particularly for the facilities that needed it? What is the timeline by which we can expect water supplies to return?

I also asked the Government whether it would consider increasing capital investment next year above the amount in the existing Irish Water plan so we can fast-track the upgrading of both our plants and pipes. It is important to note that Irish Water is currently seeking to reduce the number of full-time equivalents in water services by 1,000. If the company gets its way, this would result in 1,300 fewer people employed by 2021. If those people had been taken out of the system before this weekend, how much worse would the circumstances have been? Does the Minister not need to rethink the proposal in light of the strains on the system, as evidenced in the aftermath of Storm Emma?

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister's response does not give us any new information. What happened during the water crisis in the summer was that some temporary innovative solutions were found. For example, Ashbourne was linked to the Dublin supply at Coolquay. As for Ratoath, where the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, lives, I propose a link to Dunshaughlin. That should be included in the Government's capital plan. It can be done at a low cost. With regard to Duleek, Bellewstown, Balrath, Kentstown and Donore, where there is currently a severe shortage and where the supply is not part of the greater Dublin supply but seems to be listed as such, solutions were found by filling reservoirs during the summer. Mains pipes were filled from the outside. That needs to happen also because some people are suffering disproportionately, depending on where they live.

We need to get a grip on this issue. Irish Water has communicated well but needs to do better. People need to know exactly where they stand. Some of the measures that were put in place last summer could be replicated now, particularly in east and south Meath to resolve the problems. I was talking to my colleagues Councillors Damien O'Reilly and Nick Killian today about this issue. They are in full agreement with me on this.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his response. As my colleague said, the public accepts cutbacks once they are communicated. The Minister did not respond to the point that where there was notice of restrictions, there was a complete cut-off. The Minister's answer did not reflect the needs of small businesses, parents with small children, those with special needs and the elderly. The most alarming or concerning part of the Minister's answer was the statement that Irish Water is seeing improvements in many of the areas in question and that, with the exception of the Fethard and greater Dublin area supply issues, most issues will be resolved by the end of the week. The Minister expects all the supplies outside the greater Dublin area to be restored by the end of this week. When does he expect the issues concerning the greater Dublin area, which entail a volume of water 20 times greater than in other areas, to be resolved by Irish Water?

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for his response. I get very frustrated over this because, for many years as a councillor, long before I became a Deputy, I heard constant talk about the water shortage in the greater Dublin area. I have been at meeting after meeting over the years. This is going back well over ten years but we are still no closer to having the problem resolved. There are shortages now and there will be more in the future. People find it difficult to understand what is happening. We have a lot of rain in this country, we have just experienced a storm with snow and ice, and there is water everywhere, yet we have a water shortage. In the summer, we will be short of water because of the dry weather. We need to consider the whole infrastructure. We need to fast-track the process by which we supply the greater Dublin area. This is extremely important at this stage.

It is important to note that Irish Water is very much reliant on the local authorities. Taking responsibility from the local authorities was a mistake.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his response. I am concerned by some of the information we have been given here. As my colleague, Deputy Lahart, noted, the Minister's response indicates that the supplies in the greater Dublin area will not be resolved by the end of the week. What the Minister has said is he cannot give an assurance to the people of my constituency as to when the issue will be resolved. I am sure the Minister will be fully aware of how significant an issue this is but it could become an extremely significant issue if it drags on much beyond the end of this week. We need more than political responses. We need our constituents to be apprised of when the issue will be resolved in the greater Dublin area and, in particular, in my constituency. It is having a significant impact on businesses, as well as domestic houses. Hobart's café in Ranelagh, which the Minister will know well, was in the media yesterday stating the difficulty it was experiencing in keeping a business going in the absence of water. It is imperative that the Minister tries to get solutions to this as quickly as possible or else he will lose the run of it.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his response. However, the issue before us is specifically the short-term issues that have occurred directly as a result of the severe weather. The latter part of the Minister's response dealt with the longer term and matters such as infrastructure. The challenge facing us today is how we repair the damage in the short term in order to get back to the water levels we had this time last week. A distinction should be made between those works which need to be done and the longer-term capital works to rectify the leaking pipes across the greater Dublin area, which are 80 years old as the Minister noted. There is short-term work that needs to be done, however, and for the 1.2 million people affected in the greater Dublin area, the Minister's answer has not addressed the timescale. If there are to be restrictions, the Minister must ensure that they are not only lifted to bring pressure back but to bring water back to families who are leaving their houses in the morning in order that there is a flow of water from the taps. They need the information on what is happening. The Minister's response looked at the longer term more than the here and now. I urge him to ensure that additional funding is made available to Irish Water to deal with this short-term issue.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I do not wish to repeat what others have said but it is really important that we get on top of issues in the greater Dublin area, where the problem is predominant with some 1.2 million people affected. The Minister already mentioned Skerries and other places. The Minister has people's forbearance now; they are patient but if it continues into next week and the following week, there will be a serious problem. I ask him to look particularly at small businesses and those that rely on water such as barbers, hairdressers, coffee shops and restaurants, whose income will be badly affected. I also ask the Minister to prioritise emergency services. I am sure that is already the case but I want to emphasise that.

There must be an inventory of where the faults arise. I am not convinced by the argument that the Minister keeps trotting out that the pipes are on average 80 years old. There have been some significant investments in water infrastructure over the last 20 to 30 years, including in my own area of Fingal, and some of the problems we are experiencing relates to newer infrastructure. It is not simply due to old infrastructure. I ask the Minister to get a handle on the timeframe, to keep communicating with Members and we will do our best to assist where we can.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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I believe the Minister is aware that his response was mostly information we already have been sent by Irish Water. He said that Irish Water is seeing improvements in most of these areas - with the exception of Fethard and the greater Dublin area supplies - and expects that most issues will be resolved by the end of the week. What does that say to the thousands of people who are either without water or are on severely restricted supplies and who do not know when it will be back in operation? What does that say to the 1.2 million people in the greater Dublin area, except that the Minister does not know when it will be resolved?

Others have noted that people will be patient. They are aware of the severe weather and are complimentary about the staff and the Trojan work they have done but their patience is not infinite. They deserve an explanation, a timeline and an idea as to when their water supply will be restored.

Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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We all want the Minister to inform the House of an indicative timeline as to when these issues might be resolved. Does the Minister believe the independent regulator should undertake an assessment of the planning process and the response of Irish Water to this event, both to examine recent weeks and to ensure it will be resolved for the future? Will the Minister respond to my question relating to the delay in setting up the water advisory board? It has not been put in place. What is the delay and when will it be put in place so as to adhere to the Dáil direction almost a year ago?

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I will do my best to respond to every issue. I wanted to put certain information on the record in my initial response, as I thought it was important after what we had come through. I will need more than two minutes to properly explain this.

On the forewarning put in place, as Irish Water stood on the national emergency co-ordination group, we discussed these issues in advance of the weather event. We were told there was a particular ground temperature, -7° Celsius, below which we could expect significant disruption due to breakages in the system as the ground thawed. This is similar to what we saw in 2010. Deputy O'Callaghan will be familiar with this as our constituency suffered badly from it. We monitored the weather over the course of the week. It was apparent that the temperature would fall below -7° Celsius and we would have significant problems. In addition, problems arose in places such as Fethard and there was an ongoing problem with algae in the Vartry water system. We were looking at all these things and preparing Irish Water teams and co-ordinating with the ESB where outages affected the chlorination facilities in some plants. As the information came in, we looked ahead and prepared for all these things. A point comes when one has to decide when one will inform the public because what one does not want is a run on water. If the public is told that it might be necessary to introduce restrictions the following week, it might immediately impact the water supply, as people go to fill reserve tanks and fill baths because they are worried they may have no water. We had to make a judgment call as to when that ought to be done. Jerry Grant made the call at the appropriate time to manage public expectations as to what might happen. I will return shortly to how restrictions have worked or did not work in certain areas when we introduced lower pressure.

We must acknowledge that it is not a perfect system. It is not like an electricity system when one can press a button and things come back on immediately. It involves pressure and often gravity to get the proper flow into the system. We must also remember that the system is underground. Whereas most electricity outages would be above ground or in specific facilities, many of the water breakages that occurred were below ground and it takes more time to fix them. We appreciate that members of the public understand that, as well as their patience, as we address these issues.

I agree with speakers about communications. I know very well the importance of communications on the ground, having been a councillor in 2010 during the last severe disruptions in the Dublin area in particular. We are working to ensure our communications are released in a timely manner. As for any communications that came out of the national emergency co-ordination group during the storm weather event, I decided who would communicate what and when they would do so. The experts we had in the room communicated specific issues as and when they needed to during the week. Jerry Grant has been doing an excellent job in clearly communicating to the public the exact issues we face.

I think Deputy Ó Broin referred to some people, perhaps commentators, misleading the public on why we were experiencing shortages. Communication is key. Earlier today, the national emergency co-ordination group discussed a more detail form of communications that will issue shortly. Some restrictions did not work. If we reduced the pressure low enough to where there were breakages, it would mean there was no water at all. Where people live in higher parts of buildings, they did not get water. We reviewed that and restrictions were eased as a result, both in level of pressure, particularly in parts of the greater Dublin area, but also the times at which the restrictions were put in place to recognise that where restrictions came back too late in the morning, it would impact on people being able to get to work or to school. It is not like electricity, however. If we go to turn the taps on again at 6 a.m. it does not necessarily mean that water will come out of people's taps at home at that time. That said, when the water is running during the day, that is the opportunity for tanks in attics to fill. Most people's tanks will have a 24-hour water supply in them. Those water tanks will fill over the course of the day so long as there is not a break in the local area and the pressure is at the right level, which we are working on at the moment, which is what we are working on and think we have resolved in most parts of the city.

Emergency water needs are prioritised at the national emergency co-ordination group. The fire service, the Defence Forces, the HSE and the Department of Health are all in the room to ensure that we can put emergency supplies in place for hospitals, schools and fire stations. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Irish Water has some experience of dealing with emergency situations and is putting its expertise and the lessons it has learned over the past four years to use in the current crisis.

Deputy Cowen asked about the water advisory board. We are going to move to an interim water advisory board because I need to go through the Public Appointments Service to fill the last two places. During the six months it may take to do that we will set the board up on an interim basis and when the two places are filled through the PAS system, we will have the full complement for the water advisory board.

Capital investment will increase because of the deed documents we have put into the initial plan to 2021 and also the national development plan. This is sufficient investment for our water system and for what we want to do.

Reference was made to the water restrictions in the greater Dublin area. The situation is improving every night. As it has improved, we have been able to ease the restrictions. The restrictions began as a 12 hour period but this has shortened now. We will see what we can do as we monitor the ongoing improvements being made in building capacity back in to the system. This is a night-time restriction. During the day people's water tanks will fill automatically as long as the pipe is not broken outside the house. They will have water when they need it in the evening and in the morning. We are working on a timeline for how long the restrictions will be in place. We hope that by the end of the week or into the weekend the supplies will be maintained outside the greater Dublin area and for every supply, other than the Fethard area in Tipperary. We have to be clear and honest with people in the greater Dublin area. The current night-time restrictions will continue next week. I am continuing my conversations with Irish Water and I will be with it again tomorrow to see if we can map out a proper plan to manage those restrictions. Every night that we make improvements in terms of treated water in the system we can ease those restrictions into the future.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister's time is up.

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate that Leas-Cheann Comhairle but this is a serious issue. Irish Water is rolling out more find and fix crews. We are putting more static tankers on sites and we are deploying more mobile tankers where they are needed. I understand the communications aspect. As I have said, I am meeting with Irish Water tomorrow and I have been in touch with it every day this week and last week. We will try to give as clear and precise communication as possible. Sometimes, however, when water pressure is low, it can be lost. It was not the intention. We are reviewing this and are increasing water pressure in those areas as a result.