Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will indeed present them to him afterwards, because in them we can see that absolutely no provision is made for pedestrian access at these work sites. Front doors of houses are blocked. I have photographs of fences erected across the front door of a house because a water meter is being installed. This is ridiculous.

I have witnessed works taking place in estates throughout the country where no traffic management is in place but large trucks with mixed concrete, sand and various other materials are at the work site. Are all work sites fully compliant with respect to workplace signposting? If the Minister of State drove around the parts of this city where water meters are being installed, he would find the signage is very poor. It has not been secured so it is available and obvious all of the time. With regard to public access and facilities for disabled people, the photographs I will produce for the Minister of State will show him that ramps installed outside houses for public access are highly unsafe. I am required to have a ramp at my house for one of my relations and I have seen what goes wrong if a ramp is not properly installed and not secured.

My next question may not be for the Department but it will probably finish up there. This country is notorious for liability with regard to public accidents. If somebody is injured, who will pick up the tab for it? I have photographs for the Minister of State of situations where entire footpaths are blocked and there is no access for pedestrians along the road and no provision for access along the roads.

I agree with my colleague, Senator MacSharry, on putting in, at a massive cost to the Exchequer, meters which will not be required for another five years. I appreciate what the Government is trying to do. The Minister of State and I have communicated, and I appreciate he is genuine in what he is trying to do, but I am deeply concerned that the work practices engaged in by the cowboy operators, and I am afraid this is all I can call them, working on behalf of Irish Water and the State are highly questionable.