Results 541-560 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I am out of time there but we will come back in for a third round to bring others in. The final slot in our normal committee session is Senator John Cummins. I will then go to Deputies Christopher O'Sullivan and Ó Broin, and then back to myself.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: The Senator has made his points. We are out of time on that slot. We are into the third round. I propose to take a five-minute break because we are supposed to take a five-minute break after two hours. However, I will let Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan make his contribution first because he has been waiting patiently. We will then take a short five-minute break if that is okay with everybody.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Attridge. I am going to suspend for five minutes. We will come back with Deputy Ó Broin, me, Senator Cummins, Deputy Gould and anybody who else who may drop in for the last 45 minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I welcome everybody back. We continue our discussions with representatives from Uisce Éireann. We are into the third round of questioning now. Deputy Ó Broin is first on the list. He has seven minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: The Deputy is coming up to 12 minutes now. If I can let him back in at the end, I will. The next slot is mine. I will raise two County Wicklow issues before I return to the strategic issues. There is a legacy developer-provided wastewater treatment plant in an area called Garden Village in Newtownmountkennedy. It has been a long time in the process of being decommissioned and I think...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: The second local issue is that around the Vartry reservoir in Roundwood the level of lighting seems to be excessive at night, although it has been reduced. Why does there need to be that much light around the reservoir at night? There may be health and safety issues for staff who work there, but it seems to be excessive. There is an energy aspect and a light-pollution aspect and if it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Would forestry have an impact on it as well?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: The nature restoration law was thankfully passed in Europe yesterday, where we look at rewetting and stabilising bogs. Would that help to reduce the organic run-off and therefore reduce the trihalomethanes?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Nitrates in water can have implications, especially for young children. They starve the oxygen out of the water. Are the nitrates in water an issue in Uisce Éireann's drinking-water treatment plants?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: That is positive. Often when we hear about nitrates or organic loadings, we only think of it in that overall holistic environment, but it is also a human health issue. I am cognisant of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: The issue of lead pipe replacement was raised. Uisce Éireann does it up to the door and then there are the internal pipes. Is the internal bore of a lead pipe suitable for inserting a replacement pipe into? Uisce Éireann has done that in some of its----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: It is too narrow. It needs to be-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: For the consumer, that involves lifting floorboards or concrete floors to replace the last piece.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Regarding combined sewer overflows, there was a project a few years ago to separate the foul and surface water systems. In a lot of areas they were combined and having an impact on wastewater treatment plants. Is that scheme ongoing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: My last question is on the water supply project. That is the overarching, critical project which is, as we have heard from the evidence, necessary, and not just for resilience in supply. I heard, in part from the opening statement, that we are very much dependent on this single source water supply. The diversity that project will bring into the system will provide reliability so that, for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I call Deputy Gould.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: The witnesses should be cautious about discussing something that may be the focus of a legal action. I will leave it to Mr. Gleeson to deal with that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Current Progress and Future Projections of Uisce Éireann Objectives: Uisce Éireann (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Ryan, Mr. Gleeson and Ms Attridge for their attendance today. It has been very helpful and informative for us. I also thank Ms Egan and Ms Murphy. I have no doubt they were taking note of all those responses to get back to the Deputies. That concludes the meeting.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Accidents (18 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: 101. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to concerns regarding the outbreak of a fire on the 4pm Dublin to Cork train on 3 June 2024; if he can confirm that there will be an investigation into the causes of the fire; how it was managed by Irish Rail; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25918/24]