Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)

The Senator pointed out the funding to Uisce Éireann. The funding to Uisce Éireann has significantly been bolstered over the last number of years, and that includes the fresh money that has come in from the Apple windfall.The Senator is absolutely right that we, as a Government, need to start seeing results from that, not just in Dublin but outside Dublin as well. The rural water programme falls specifically within the remit of my Department. I am absolutely making the case to ensure that a lot of that money and investment goes out to the rural towns so we can see balanced regional development.

Coming back to the Senator's point, the situation in Newcastle West, unfortunately, is replicated right throughout Ireland. Newcastle West being a significant town in Limerick surely should put it, in terms of prioritisation, quite near the top of that list because of the significant size of the town. I will work with the water directorate within my Department, the senior Ministers and Uisce Éireann to try to look at ways of bringing forward those timelines because it is too far out. Perhaps some of the consents, some of the permits or the statutory measures that they have to run and that can be done in parallel are not sequential. That might cut time as well.