PJ Murphy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is my first time to speak in the Chamber since I was elected. I thank everyone who put their faith in me by electing me to this office. I thank my supporters and friends in Ardrahan and south Galway. I especially thank my parents and family who have been a massive support to me throughout my political career to date. I want to address the lack of critical infrastructure, which is greatly restricting the building of homes in the south Galway area. The Gort-Kinvara local electoral area, which I represented on Galway County Council for the past six years, has 14 recognised settlements, of which only two, Gort and Kinvara, the largest towns in the area, are serviced by municipal wastewater treatment facilities. Two years ago, two other settlements, Craughwell and Clarinbridge, were made part of a national pilot scheme to be provided with municipal wastewater treatment facilities. Since their inclusion and the announcement of funding, local representatives have heard nothing from Irish Water at a local level. We have heard no details of any plans to progress with the servicing of those settlements. Leaving those aside, that still leaves Maree, Kilcolgan, Ardrahan, Laban, Ballinderreen, Knockoura, Peterswell, Kilbeacanty, Shinaglish, Kilchreest and Ballymanagh, all unserviced and without any plans for being serviced. No grant of planning permission has been made since 2007 for any housing development schemes in any of these villages. There cannot be, simply because there are not local area plans for these villages, because they remain unserviced. There is a massive demand for housing in these areas. We have the land to build on and the people to build them but our villages are at a standstill. As we have learned through experience, in rural Ireland, villages either grow or die. I call for the Minister for housing to come before the House to give an update on the progress on the wastewater treatment facilities in Craughwell and Clarinbridge and to outline a clear plan for the provision of treatment facilities for all of the other unserviced villages I mentioned.