James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I wish to speak about this issue because it is of huge importance to people across the east Cork region where the homes that are supplied with this affected water supply are being negatively impacted. Because of new policies that have been introduced, there is an additional burden on these householders, which is very unjustified, in the context of the introduction of the deposit return scheme for plastic bottles. Unfortunately, thousands of people in my area have been consistently affected by the quality of their water supply over a long number of years. Some people have been affected for seven or eight years and indeed even longer than that in some parts.

East Cork, as many people will know, is a low-lying landscape where there is a lot of limestone rock. Despite the high-quality water supply, when there are heavy deluges of rain, unfortunately, they contaminate the water supply due to the geology locally and other contributing factors. This is a very problematic issue for a huge number of residents. The epicentre of this is Whitegate and Aghada, but it spreads across to other parts such as Churchtown, Saleen, Shanagarry, Ballinacurra, Cloyne and all the rural hinterlands in those areas that are connected to that water supply.

Unfortunately, when it comes to what the State is doing to support those families, it is just not right. People have to go in and out of their local towns and villages to purchase water and now there is the additional cost of the deposit return scheme. It is not fair. The State needs to step in and Irish Water should be told by the Department of local government and the Ministers responsible that they must step in to do something in response to this inequity. It is very unfair on those affected. I am conscious a body of work is being done to address these issues but that is for the long term and it will take a number of years.

I am joined by Deputy Stanton, who also represents the area. Both of us can say that this issue is a huge headache for people locally. They have been suffering because of it for a very long time. I often feel the frustration of people locally who do not feel this issue is getting the attention it deserves. I wish to raise it this morning to show that it is a major concern for me politically and for the people I represent.

The Department needs to step in to give Irish Water a bit of a kick in the right direction because it is only fair that it acknowledges the impact this has for all the residents who have been affected and have been going through these boil water notices and the impact they have, for example, on washing children, getting ready for school and people trying to get their bits and pieces ready every morning. There is a whole heap of different areas as to how this has affected families and ordinary households.

In a video that has been brought to my attention, there are some stories in which there might be an additional requirement for water for medical grounds or other issues that are affecting elderly people. It seems a bit heartless that the water supply is not provided on a local level and people have to go to supermarkets to purchase this at extraordinary higher cost. If the additional household cost that this brings to homes on a weekly basis is totted up, it is not fair. In addition to that, there is the deposit return scheme and how that is impacting them. It is a pain in the posterior to many people across the country. I am not the greatest advocate for it; I will not lie. However, for those who are affected by the water supply issue in east Cork where there are these outages affecting homes, it needs to be looked at.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle agus leis an Teachta O'Connor as an gceist seo a ardú. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and I acknowledge Deputy Stanton's concerns as well about the east Cork boil water notice.

The issue of safe drinking water has both national and local importance and I appreciate the Deputy's concerns for the communities affected. He will appreciate that the operation at Whitegate regional public water supply is a matter for Uisce Éireann, which has a statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services, that is, planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local level. In turn, the Environmental Protection Agency as the environmental regulator, is responsible for setting water quality standards and enforcing compliance with EU directives and national regulations for the provision of drinking water.

I understand, from inquiries made with Uisce Éireann, that the boil water notice currently in place for the Whitegate public water supply was issued on 18 October 2023 following consultation between Uisce Éireann, Cork County Council and the Health Service Executive. This boil water notice, which remains in place, was issued to protect approximately 9,500 customers in Whitegate, Aghada, Churchtown, Ballycotton, Saleen, Shanagarry, Ballinacurra and areas of Cloyne. The notice was issued as a result of increased turbidity in the raw water, which can happen at this source as it is susceptible to raw water quality issues after rainfall events. Boil water notices have been issued on Whitegate public water supply a number of times in recent years. However, it should be noted that the water is safe to consume once boiled.

Uisce Éireann has advised in January this year, following a protracted process, that it received planning permission for a new state-of-the-art water treatment facility that will service just more than 10,000 people in the east Cork community of Whitegate and surrounding areas. The proposed new water treatment plant will address the frequent boil water notices that the people of east Cork have experienced in recent years. A contractor has been appointed to deliver the works on behalf of Uisce Éireann. Construction on this vital project is expected to begin in the second half of this year and will take approximately 22 months.

My Department does not have any function regarding the deposit return scheme to which the Deputy referred. However, consumers who have been charged a deposit on a container under the scheme can redeem it in full from participating shops and supermarkets. It is a good scheme, but obviously good quality municipal water is far superior to bottled water in most cases.

That is what we should be trying to achieve. There is also zero waste generated from drinking tap water.

Turning to financial support, Uisce Éireann has a strong consumer service focus through its water charges plan and customer charter, which outlines the standard of service customers should expect to receive. The water charges plan sets out the compensation mechanism when water quality is compromised and unfit for human consumption, such as when boil water and drinking water restriction notices apply.

Business consumers who pay charges are entitled to a rebate under the consumer handbook as agreed with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. However, implementation of the water charges plan is a matter in the first instance for Uisce Éireann. Any issues that cannot be resolved by Uisce Éireann to the satisfaction of the customer can be referred under the formal complaints process to the CRU. My Department's priority is to ensure that people's health is protected and that adequate water is available for all consumers.

We all want to see this notice lifted without undue delay but only when the HSE and the EPA have confirmed that the water supply is safe.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for that information. It is little comfort to the people we represent. Part of the response to has to be financial assistance that needs to be provided to the families involved. If the State has an agency in place to supply home owners and people who live in these homes affected, with a safe and secure water supply for every type of domestic use, there should be some reflection on that so that in an area such as east Cork, where so many people have been affected over such a long time, they need to be given some kind of compensation to allow them to get on with their lives without having to bear that additional cost. I outlined how where people are buying vast amounts of bottled water, that can impact on their personal finances. Not everybody has the luxury being able to set aside €40 or €50 per week, or in some cases a great deal more, to buy in that water supply. That is not good enough. These householders are paying through the nose for something that is not really any fault of their own. It is the fault of the State in the sense that it cannot provide them with the water supply they need.

Within the Civil Service such matters would be viewed as, "You raise me a solution and I will raise ten problems", but that needs to be taken on board. It is only right and proper that these householders are given that reflection from the Department so that when they go to Uisce Éireann saying too many people are affected over too long a period, is it not time that we probably do something with these families? That would be my view and my request.

I ask the Minister of State to reflect on that, to bring that back to the Department and consider putting in place a system or a scheme that can financially support those individuals affected by it. I reiterate that for eight years a vast number of householders have been affected. East Cork has gone through a difficult time with Storm Babet and the impact it had on the local area. This issue has been dragging on for an unholy amount of time. It is not fair. Irish Water has given priority to projects in other parts of the country for a multitude of reasons. However, this has been going on for an unacceptable amount of time. I ask that the compensation angle be looked at.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I thank the Deputy. As I outlined, there is a compensation mechanism for business customers. Certainly, I appreciate the points raised about the communities in east Cork affected by this because it is a huge inconvenience, to put it mildly, when a boil water notice is in place, even if it is just around issues of turbidity in the water supply. It still requires customers to boil the water before consumption. I am not sure whether Uisce Éireann has arranged the supply of potable water through tankers in any of the communities affected. That might be worth considering in the interim while the capital project is under way. As I said it is a 22-month period to deliver that project. That will ultimately deal with the issue once and for all.

The deposit refund scheme is a good scheme. The mechanism is there for people to get a full refund on the purchase of bottles but ultimately having good potable water is better. In many cases, the water quality of municipal supplies is far better than much bottled water that people are buying off the shelves and there is no waste attached to drinking tap water. However, the tap water needs to be of good quality and that is a fundamental right that should be afforded to every citizen in the State.

I certainly will bring back the Deputy's concerns to our Department and to Uisce Éireann.