John Ellis (Fianna Fail)

Fine Gael proposes to take this responsibility into a national organisation. The local authorities have done a tremendous job of looking after water provision throughout the country. In doing so are we going to create another quango? I believe we have enough of them at the moment, as I am sure everyone in the country would agree. Let the local authorities continue to be responsible for local services. If we allow them to be responsible for local services, they will learn to identify the problems and deal with them. I would love to know how members of the Opposition can say every week there should be money for this and that without indicating where it is going to come from, unless they are going to win the lottery. Even that would not keep matters going for too long.

The motion calls for an examination of all engineering resources, with "the State to ensure a rapid remedy to widespread burst water mains". To repair burst water mains is very simple, once they are identified. To be fair to local authorities, they repair them immediately. We know problems have arisen where reservoirs levels have been allowed to go down. However, bear in mind that a considerable number of citizens were responsible for this because they left the taps running. It is irresponsible for anyone to suggest that taps should be left running. We all know the cost of producing drinkable water, and this is something that will have to be looked at. The amount of water being lost from the system, not just through leaks but being used to wash cars, footpaths and various other purposes for which it was never designed to be used, will have to be examined. We will have to decide how we can maintain an adequate water system to meet people's needs.

We must also remember the amount of development that has taken place, as regards new housing and so on, and the repercussions this has had on the water supply system. This is something that has to be looked at by everybody. I note, as well, that the Fine Gael motion calls for "additional funding for the restoration of severely damaged local and regional roads for reasons of road safety and to minimise costly reconstruction". Much of this costly reconstruction is caused by poor initial workmanship on these roads. As far as my local authority is concerned, we have had far fewer problems than other areas because it made sure that whatever roadworks it carried out over the past ten or 15 years were done to a high standard, and we are getting the benefit of this.

However, the fact the Minister is allowing councils to decide where they are to spend their roads money will be of great interest to the Fine Gael Senators' colleagues on all the local authorities they control throughout the country. It is time they decided how they are going to spend the money. They need not say it is Fianna Fáil's responsibility since it is their duty now to spend the resources.