Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Before I raise my issue I want to support Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell on the issue of the orchestras. I agree with her that this is not about politics; it is about our culture.

I raise the issue of the announcement by Irish Water that it plans to submit a planning application for a new pipeline connecting water from the River Shannon to Dublin. The water will be taken from Parteen, treated in Birdhill and transported to Dublin to supply Dublin and other areas in Leinster, including places in my area of Westmeath. It is estimated that there will be a need for approximately 330 million extra litres per day by 2050 to meet the needs of the growing population and the projections that have been studied.

I welcome any investment in Irish Water, and we all know that water has been a hot topic of conversation here. However, we also know now, and hindsight is a great thing, that there must be investment in water infrastructure. There has not been any serious investment in water infrastructure for more than 60 years. One could probably argue that there has not been proper investment in water infrastructure in the past 150 years.

I am keen to make sure that we invest in Irish Water but also that there would be a debate on it. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister to come into the House to allow us discuss the future of the water pipeline between Parteen and Dublin, taking into account issues such as the route that has been chosen, the landowners who will be affected and the environmental impact. I ask the Leader if he could organise that.