Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I support what the Minister of State said. There was a discussion on the Order of Business this morning about water wastage, including leakages and old water schemes. A Senator described major leakages in the midlands. If the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government means anything, it must mean it is concerned about this issue. Metering is one way of dealing with the problem. I do not understand why Senator Bannon is opposed to the installation of meters. I am very familiar with group water schemes in County Galway, which has the largest number of group schemes in the country, where meters have been used to try to deal with the issue. One of the problems with group water schemes is that there is not enough people to maintain or supervise them and, therefore, leakages can go unnoticed for days. It is important to take whatever steps are necessary to deal with leakages and wastage of water. I am reassured by what the Minister of State said in this regard.