Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I move:

That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 to give the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) the legislative remit to develop a code of practice for water service outages and to amend the Water Services Act 2014 to establish a dispute resolution mechanism for customer complaints regarding service interruptions and outages.

This Bill would ensure that Uisce Éireann properly communicates with and, more importantly, supports households and businesses during water outages. I thank Deputies Ó Broin, Gould and Guirke for co-sponsoring the Bill. I especially thank Muireann Meehan Speed for her work in preparing the Bill.

The Bill mandates Uisce Éireann to develop a code of practice for water service outages. The legislation mandates measures such as a dedicated response for vulnerable, domestic and business customers; a detailed communication plan for all customers, public representatives and local authorities, including two-hourly updates; the duty to provide emergency replacement water within agreed timeframes; and thresholds for rebates and compensation following planned and unplanned interruptions.

There are very significant issues. I draw attention to the issues in the Kilbreena Estate in Dunboyne, County Meath, as well as many other areas across the State.

Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the introduction of the Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2025. The Bill represents a crucial step forward in ensuring that access to clean, safe and reliable water remains a fundamental right for all our communities. For too long, residents in areas like Enfield, Clonard, Ballivor and Trim have faced ongoing water outages, with one example of over 300 residents in Clonard relying on water tankers daily.

Recent Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, reports have highlighted serious deficiencies in water infrastructure, revealing the urgent need for reform. Water levels in lakes such as Lough Bane in my area are dropping dramatically and are not keeping pace with increasing demand. During periods of good weather, the situation gets worse and water levels get lower. This has been highlighted with Uisce Éireann by me and the Lough Bane Anglers' Association.

The Bill reaffirms our commitment to improving the quality and resilience of our water services. It is a clear message that water is a public good and not a commodity to be privatised or charged for unfairly.

The proposed legislation aims to ensure Uisce Éireann properly communicates with and supports households and businesses during water outages, an issue that continues to cause severe disruptions in Meath West. Sinn Féin has brought forward this Bill to reflect the deep frustration of impacted communities and to hold Uisce Éireann to account. We need a proactive approach that ensures our water infrastructure is fit for purpose and capable of meeting the demands of our growing population.

This legislation is about safeguarding the fundamental right to reliable water services and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable for failures that have persisted for far too long.

It is time-----

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I apologise.

Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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It is time to prioritise investment and proper planning to prevent future crises and to support the communities that rely on our water systems every day. From my experience of Uisce Éireann in recent years, I can say that its customer service for elected Members is very poor. A Member could send it an email and receive no reply, despite repeated follow-ups. As I have said before, Uisce Éireann is hard to deal with. Elected Members need to be treated with priority. If we ask it questions, we are representing our constituents in many cases, who want answers from us.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I apologise, Johnny.

Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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I forgive you.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Members go in and out of the Chamber turning their mobile phones on and off. These things happen and I apologise.

I commend my colleagues, especially Deputy O'Rourke, on the work they have done on this Bill. Deputy O'Rourke saw a problem and is putting forward solutions. When the Government created Uisce Éireann, it built a company that was so allergic to transparency and accountability it is like a fortress. It is impossible sometimes to get information from it. It takes months to get answers to basic questions. It refused to properly communicate with this Bill. That is the whole point of this - communication is vital when it comes to the supply of water, particularly when there are water outages or when water is not safe to drink. This has a particular impact on vulnerable people. Uisce Éireann says it has a register of vulnerable customers, but it does not communicate with them properly. I asked it once about a constituent of mine who has limited sight and other people who are blind and live in my constituency. Uisce Éireann told me to get them to ask their friends and family to fill a jug of water and put it in the fridge for them. That is not a response. How is Uisce Éireann protecting vulnerable people with that? Must those vulnerable people always wait for neighbours, family or friends to come around?

I know Deputies O'Rourke and Guirke have had huge issues in their constituencies with water outages and subsequent problems with communication. I have had the same problems myself. We have a huge problem in Cork with brown, dirty and unsafe water. Uisce Éireann is failing to communicate. What this Bill would do is it would safeguard and protect people when it comes to having clean drinking water. Sinn Féin is also hoping that this Bill would put communication at the heart of Uisce Éireann's job.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy. Is the Bill being opposed?

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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No.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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As the motion on leave to introduce has been agreed, I ask the Deputy to move that Second Stage be taken in Private Members' time.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."