Mary Henry (Independent)

The recent Environmental Protection Agency report on private water schemes indicates that e.coli pollution from sewage is getting worse, despite the incredible amounts of money being spent. The episode of pollution of public water in the Galway area with cryptosporidium is the worst ever reported in the country. We have to take this issue seriously. Will the Acting Leader invite the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to the House to explain how these serious issues have arisen? Cryptosporidium is the parasite which causes scour in calves and the cost to the tourist industry and businesses in the west of Ireland must be shocking. Water polluted in that way is largely unusable. We need to address this issue because it appears to be getting worse rather than better despite the facts that large amounts of money are being spent and that the EU directives on it are now decades old.