Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I add my voice to those supporting Senator O'Toole's Bill. Last night, the radio media blamed the Garda for hours and I did not discover until this morning that it had given something like four hours' notice, which was adequate, and that the fault lay elsewhere. Senator Norris stated that he had heard that the judge had claimed not to be bothered about the time, which seems outrageous.

I ask the Leader to consider having a debate on water quality. In recent weeks, there has been a major debate, particularly regarding the nitrates directive, as to who is responsible for the lack of quality in our water. Some of the figures raised suggest that the quality of our drinking water is far lower than that in Britain. It may well be that different areas of the country have different standards. Last year I noted that in France, when one pays one's water charges, the bill includes a report on the water quality in one's own area. It may be possible to implement this good idea here and perhaps some local authorities already do so. A debate of this kind should take place in this House as not enough is known about water quality and we should ensure that we can also compete in that regard.