Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is difficult to stop some Senators in full flow, as it were, because those of us representing areas outside the capital in particular feel the effects of the legacy of poor management of water. I completely agree that it is time for this issue to be grappled with. I would almost give up my time to allow Senator Conway to speak further on the issue because I can see his passion.

Senator Garvey has really led on this issue. One of the first things she said on entering the Seanad was that her number one priority was water. It is so appropriate that it is her motion before the House today because this is not just about a motion, it is about the actions that will back that up over her time in government. The motion really lays that down for all to see.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, for coming to the House. I know this is one of the issues about which he is really passionate. The Green Party Members are here in blue today. It is appropriate that we are here in blue because this is about water. The issue of water might not be at the top of the agenda for members of green parties in other parts of the world but as an island nation where 20% of the land is wetland, this is the number one green issue because water gives us life, but also because 40% of species here are reliant on wetlands, rivers, lakes and seas for their survival. It is 100% down our alley as members of the Green Party that we get this right.

That is why it is important to mention all the things that have been achieved so far. Previous speakers have mentioned some of them. Senator Cummins stated that it is important to recognise what has been done already while the Government has been in power. The White Paper was released last month. It is appropriate that we do not go into the details of it, but it shows that this is a priority. There is so much in the programme for Government on the issue of water that I feel very confident that we will tackle these issues. One of the first lines of the motion notes the commitment in the programme for Government to refer this issue to a joint Oireachtas committee. That is the right place for it. Let us have a proper all-party conversation on the issue of water, which is so essential to life.

According to a 2019 report produced by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, half of water in this country is not being treated correctly. That is a significant proportion. It is about life but it is also about the homelessness and housing crises. In rural Ireland in particular, we are very much dependent on getting water right in order to get houses right. As regards Gaeltacht areas, we cannot properly invest in Gaeltacht areas, in tourism or small businesses in Connemara until we get wastewater treatment right. Senator Kyne mentioned many of the ongoing projects and I really look froward to seeing those progress.

Senator O'Loughlin quoted W.H. Auden. I am going to be somewhat poetic as well. I was listening to RTÉ Lyric FM this morning and heard Marty Whelan speaking about the fact that in the 1980s no one had heard of bottled water. Now we all know about bottled water. That is partly because there is a problem with our water but it is also because the trust and confidence of people have been lost when it comes to the quality of water, and rightly so in the context of reports such as that from the EPA.

From an international and global perspective, some countries are in drought as a result of climate change. It is predominantly women and children who are impacted by drought in some of the poorest parts of those countries. That is a consequence of climate change. These things go hand in hand. It is about investing in Irish Water but it is also about getting the climate right if we are to get water back to where we need it to be. The investment in Irish Water of €1.3 billion in 2021 by the Government restores the previous levels of investment. That shows that this is not a motion about what we will do but that these measures are already being taken by those of us in government. One of the legacies of our three parties in government will be sorting out this problem. We have had a negative legacy up to now when it comes to water but the effort being put into this issue means that coming out of government we will have sorted it out.

I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House to listen to everybody's views. I know he is an expert in the area and I can see that he is taking it all in. I look forward to engaging with him further on it. I thank my colleague, Senator Garvey, for putting a great deal of work into this issue over many months, and even years.