Eamon Scanlon (Fianna Fail)

I support Senator Leyden's call to invite the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, to the House for a discussion on the issue of water charges. I attended a meeting in Roscommon on Monday last at which 1,200 farmers were present. There is no doubt this is a serious issue. As Senator Leyden stated, County Sligo is one of the dearest counties at €5.14 per 1,000 gallons of water and €80 per metre. A fragmented holding could be assessed for four or five metres, which could cost €400 without the farmer using a drop of water. This compares to other counties which have one charge per metre and a cost of €2 less per 1,000 gallons.

The other issue in this regard is that county mangers state that funding is 100% recoupable from the customer. However, if there is a leak in the mains, somebody must pay for the water. It is farmers and small businesses throughout the country who must pay. This is wrong. The issue needs to be addressed.

I have previously raised the issue of care organisers. Patients are held in hospitals because care organisers who allocate hours to people who need home help are not doing so because of a dispute that has continued for the past six months. As a result, people in hospitals are unable to get home care when they go home. Similarly, people who live at home who need extra home help hours to keep them out of hospital are unable to avail of such services. It is time for this dispute, which has been going on for six months, to be dealt with.