Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Minister of State's considerable engagement and work on many rural issues, including water and pyrite. I welcome his statement with regard to the Kilmurray group water scheme. Given that the three-year multi-annual programme for 2019 to 2021 has been given the green light, I assume the scheme will be funded, which would be welcome.

The Minister of State said he is committed to funding water services in rural areas. People have been drilling wells in the Downpatrick and Furmoyle areas. They cannot supply water through their own efforts. It is not enough to say providing water is too expensive. Are these people not entitled to water? What will be done? I understand there is a possibility the council may revise its proposal for a water scheme in Downpatrick. It should be borne in mind that much of the expense arises from the type of terrain through which pipework has to be laid. It would have to go through special areas of conservation and rocky areas. The Minister of State knows about dispersed populations. Many people in these areas have drilled wells which are no good. Something has to be done.

This request to the Government is the last recourse for people in Downpatrick Head and Furmoyle. They have tried everything else. Can they be helped? Perhaps the Minister of State is not aware that Downpatrick Head is one of the signature points on the Wild Atlantic Way. The areas does not even a public toilet because it has no running water, public mains supply or any sort of group water mains supply. That is definitely not something of which we should be proud in this day and age. One cluster of houses in the area has water. Accepting what the Minister of State said, I ask that this matter be revisited. We know that the unit cost of providing a mains water supply will be high. This is the problem the people of the area have been facing all along. Telling them that again does not help matters.