Seanad debates

Tuesday, 21 September 2021

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

 

2:30 pm

Photo of Barry WardBarry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In the first instance, I entirely agree with what Senator Byrne said about the privacy of politicians' homes. We have a system where politicians are accessible only because people treat them in a civil and human way.

I welcome the decision by the Department of Education, in principle, to agree to the purchase of Booterstown parish hall. This is an issue I raised as a Commencement matter with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, last June. I am delighted to see progress on that and we look forward to the special needs class being made available as part of St. Mary's Boys' National School, subject to final agreements and so forth.

I also wish to raise the fact that there are major problems with water quality in Dublin Bay. There are discharges of raw sewage into the bay on an ongoing basis and sometimes, it appears, there are also discharges from industrial centres. People swim there, more often than they did a couple of years ago. There is plenty of sea swimming happening in places in my area, such as the Forty Foot, Sandycove, Seapoint and Hawk Cliff. People are swimming in the sea daily and when the warning comes that there is a problem, it is often too late. It might come 24 hours after the discharge or after a water quality test shows bacteria or whatever else might be in the water. There must be a step up on dealing with this issue. There must be regular testing not just in the summer but throughout the year, because people are swimming in the sea all year round. It is a wonderful opportunity for them to get out and exercise. It is good for everybody involved. The State, the local authorities in Dublin and the Department must set out a safe regime for them to do that, to ensure they know when they go swimming in the sea that they are swimming in water that is clean and will not make them sick. We heard earlier today about problems with inland water, but the seawater, which should be clean and pristine, is not always so. When it is not we need to know, and that can only happen through regular testing throughout the year. I hope the Leader will consider having a debate on that issue so we can clearly convey the need for that.

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