Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for the contribution he made. I acknowledge the importance of this subject. As the Minister of State said, water is a scarce resource that is important for all of us. He stressed the need for a secure supply of water of high quality. It is for these reasons that I welcome the initiative that has been taken in advance of the establishment of Irish Water.

I met a man last night who has been away for almost 24 months. He told me he was in 30 countries during that time. We spoke about charges in general. He said that people in practically all of those countries have to pay for services, including water. He is giving a talk in Dublin on 1 November next. I encouraged him to refer in his address to all the countries he has visited. I suggested he should speak about issues such as security of water supply and water quality, which have been mentioned today by the Minister of State. When I get the details of the talk, I will relay them to the House.

We all know that investment in piping is necessary. Sadly, much of the piping in certain local authority areas has broken down as it has aged. A great deal of water is wasted as a result of the breakages in the pipe network. I appreciate that many pipes are being replaced at the moment. A considerable amount of new piping has been laid down by Kerry County Council and Killarney Town Council in the past six or nine months. Unfortunately, I have noticed a distinct change in the taste of the water in my home place. It could be caused by too much fluoride. I hope it is not caused by too much E. coli.