James Bannon (Fine Gael)

The Minister of State appears to be saying that it becomes more difficult to prove a case with the passage of time in terms of identifying a particular person as the culprit who caused the burst mains and so on.

I agree with the Minister's remarks regarding the wastage of water which is not cheap to produce. Local authority maintenance bills in terms of water production and reservoirs are very high. Approximately 50% of the water produced is wasted. Many companies and individuals are negligent in that regard. The matter is, perhaps, one for the local authorities rather than Government. Local authorities must deal with the problem of water wastage which is becoming a burden on their finances. There should be greater conservation of water produced through the different local authority systems.