Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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It is disgraceful that in 2023, the residents of Clare Island are still dealing with water outages for up to two weeks at a time. They are still unable to get any commitment from Uisce Éireann on when the necessary upgrades will happen. The most recent continuous outage lasted a full ten days, with some parts of the island affected by disruptions for 14 days. Water outages are a very serious matter for our islanders, who are dependent on fresh water supply for drinking and basic sanitation but also in the case of fire.

These water outages are not new to the Clare Island community either. Over the past two years, they have had to deal with five boil water notices, and most recently, one ending in mid-October. Apart from the lack of water, the island community is frustrated by the ongoing lack of engagement from Uisce Éireann. Ms Joanne Carroll, the community development co-ordinator, tells me that unless she contacts Uisce Éireann directly for information, the islanders do not receive any warnings or updates. Residents are advised to check with the Uisce Éireann website for updates but with the national broadband plan not expected to offer connections to some islanders until 2025, this is not an acceptable solution from the national authority for water services. Such a lack of engagement from our national water authority is simply not acceptable, particularly for vulnerable island communities.

I ask the Minister of State to ask the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien to engage directly with the Clare Island community to outline a firm plan of action with a reasonable deadline to ensure contingency supplies are in place while the work is ongoing. They asked for contingency water supplies to be kept on the island but this has not happened either. Uisce Éireann will not commit to a deadline for the upgrade works, only stating that these projects take anywhere from 18 to 24 months to complete. Too often, when questions are put to the Minister about water infrastructure services, he says that they have no responsibility, and that it is a matter for Uisce Éireann. It would not be tolerated in any other situation.

We see the same thing with other group water schemes across the county, and I have to raise the situation on Achill Island as well, and the Sáile group water scheme. Again, they are caught in the middle between Mayo County Council and Uisce Éireann, and nobody will take responsiblity with regard to the works that need to be done there. They talk about the circular WSP01/16 as justification for requiring sureties when dealing with water schemes. The whole situation is a mess and I have raised this several times with the Taoiseach and the Minister. Somebody needs to take a grip of what is happening here, whether it is on Clare Island or Achill Island. Sáile group water scheme, Uisce Éireann says, does not comply with Uisce Éireann's basic standard documentation. It is hiding behind these circulars, including the WSP01/16, to not have action on it. Yet we have these communities, and there are several more of them in Mayo that I am not going to mention tonight because I have mentioned them several times before, that are caught in this situation where there is an inherited debt.

We have to remember that all of these people in group water schemes are volunteers. They are left without water in this day and age in 2023, and when we are in a situation where the country has a surplus of €8 billion, it is absolutely impossible for people in these communities to accept what is happening here, where they do not have basic water supply. It is not good enough.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien sends apologies and has asked me to attend this evening in his place to address this important issue in County Mayo. I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for raising this issue and for allowing me the opportunity to outline the position regarding public water in Clare Island, and group water schemes in Mayo.

As the Deputy will understand, the supply of public water and the provision of water services in general are matters for Uisce Éireann in the first instance. However, the Department has made inquiries with Uisce Éireann on the issues mentioned, and we are informed as follows. A boil water notice on the Clare Island water supply was lifted on 5 October and normal use of the water supply could resume. The notice, which was issued in June, was put in place to protect the health of customers on the island following the detection of cryptosporidium in the water supply. Drinking water experts from Uisce Éireann worked to lift the notice as quickly and safely as possible, and following satisfactory water samples over 18 weeks the boil water notice was lifted. Meanwhile, works are progressing to upgrade the island’s water treatment plant.

There was also a recent disruption in water supply to the island, which lasted for a couple of days. Uisce Éireann has subsequently become aware that the disruption to individual premises lasted for longer, up to ten days for some. This can occur after a return of supply to a network where there may be issues with individual connections. I am informed that Uisce Éireann sincerely regrets the impact this had on these customers. Certain parts of the island can be affected intermittently with water outages due to a lack of storage to supply parts of the island.

With regard to the proposed water treatment plant upgrade, as part of Uisce Éireann’s commitment to ensuring all customers have no disruption to their water supply, a number of projects are being finalised for Clare Island. Group water schemes are community-owned and community-run enterprises. Local authorities, including Mayo County Council, are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the rural water programme while the Minister is responsible for policy. Significant capital and operational financial support is being provided to schemes under the rural water programme. The Department understands that Mayo County Council is not aware of any group water schemes with supply disruption issues in recent weeks.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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There is a real problem here, and we need to take a grip of it, first with regard to Uisce Éireann and the local authorities. I do not think that people would accept it, nor would the Minister, if there was an area here in Dublin without water and having water outages as often as these communities do, particularly the one we are talking about here tonight, Clare Island, and also with regard to Sáile and what needs to be done. There is a disconnect somewhere where the Government will say that there is sufficient funding allocated yet the group water schemes are left in this situation.

If one were to say to local communities here in Dublin that it is up to themselves to supply their own water, they would not accept that either. The group water schemes seem to be the ones that are left like the poor relation. They have to be sorted out. Once they are sorted out, they will be sorted out. One sees where the authorities say that the pipes are not wide enough in Sáile in Achill for them to be taken over. It is just not good enough for people to be passed from Billy to Jack and back and over, and things not to be sorted out.

The people in Clare Island want to know when will those works be started and when will they be completed, not that they are in the pipeline or that they will be done at some time in the future. People need certainty about a water supply. They need a guaranteed water supply. People cannot live without a water supply. Without a water supply, they cannot live in Dublin and they cannot live in Clare Ireland, Achill Island or all of the other communities in Mayo as well.

I am asking if the Minister would meet Irish Water and tell its representative that the group water schemes are just as important as any other water scheme or water supply in the rest of the country, and we cannot be left behind all of the time, which is what is happening at present.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for raising the question. Indeed, we have our own water supply issues in my constituency where there are areas left for significant periods without water but, thanks to the investment the Government is putting into my constituency and, indeed, to the Deputy's constituency at Clare Island, I believe these problems are being ironed out and solved.

A number of projects are being finalised for Clare Island. One is a package ultraviolet unit. As there is no crypto barrier and crypto has been detected, it is proposed to add this treatment.

On granular activated carbon cartridges, the existing GAC layer is not fit for purpose. It is proposed to install six cartridges post slow sand filters-filtrations, with six on site for quick change out and a further six on stand-by for replenishing at the supplier depot. This will allow for quick change out of filters that can be done by hand, and constant GAC availability ensuring the integrity of the treatment process.

On investigation into possible new sources, investigations are under way to assess the potential to abstract water from a spring source further up the mountain. If these investigations identify a feasible new supply, it would also require the installation of an overground pipe of 300 m to 400 m to the new source for use in times when raw water quality deteriorates.

For the group water schemes, the Department’s multi-annual rural water programme, using Exchequer funding, is delivering improvements to water services, including in group water schemes, in areas of rural Ireland without public water services. The objective of the multi-annual programme, through its various funding measures, is to improve the quality, reliability and efficiency of water services for rural dwellers where Uisce Éireann services are not available. In addition, the Department's annual subsidy provides funding to contribute to the operational cost of schemes supplying water to their consumers for household use.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue.