Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Christopher O'Sullivan.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this Commencement matter. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, is welcome to the Chamber.

In north-west Kildare - I am particularly talking about Cappanargid, Lullymore into Allenwood, around Robertstown, Caragh and so on - there have been huge issues with water shortages. People have signed up to get communications if the water is going to be turned off, as a managed turn-off. People are not getting that information at all or they are getting it four hours late. In the past week, the water has been turned off five times in that area.

This is quite a rural area. People are living on their own, including elderly people. People have small babies and they do not have access to water in this very warm weather. Some people can go quite easily to the shops to get water - that is a big expense - but many cannot get to the shops because they are older or vulnerable for different reasons. It got so bad that some individuals rang "Liveline" yesterday to talk about it. Everyone was aghast about the reality on the ground.

The lack of water is a huge problem, but the communication around it is particularly difficult. Uisce Éireann is issuing press releases about it and they are not worth the paper they are written on. There is wrong information, miscommunication and there have been strong rumours. I spoke to two local councillors, Daragh Fitzpatrick and Brian O'Loughlin. They are getting different information as well. One individual who works with Uisce Éireann told one of the councillors that the water is being turned off at the reservoir at Allenwood to protect areas of higher population. If that is the case, it is absolutely wrong. We need to have honest communication to be clear about what is happening and why and timely information needs to be given.

There was a situation last week where tankers of water came out at 8 a.m. It is always helpful to get tankers if there is no water, but people were told the water would be on from 9 a.m. without a shadow of a doubt. What happened? It did not come on. Therefore, the order to send out the tankers was correct, because there was not going to be water, but people were getting the wrong information all over again. People can make plans if they get the information in a timely way.

I had put this Commencement matter in for Tuesday, but on Tuesday morning, I met a lady from the Hillsborough area in Newbridge who spoke to me about similar problems there. That is why I added it to today's Commencement matter. In Newbridge, there are particular issues with low pressure. People are trying to have showers, particularly in this hot weather, when they come in from work and are not able to do so because the pressure is so low. Generally speaking, it is bad news all around south-west Kildare and Newbridge. We need to know what is going on. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? We need to know what is happening and how it will be remedied.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator O'Loughlin for raising this issue. I hope there may be something for her in the answer, certainly around the technicalities and the question about light at the end of the tunnel. There is nothing in my response about communication, but it is not good enough if communications are not accurate or are not helpful. Uisce Éireann is improving its whole communications process massively, so I will certainly reflect it back to the Department and to Uisce Éireann that better communication is needed. If people are informed, it takes away a lot of the frustration. That is a key aspect.

On the supply and the pressure issue the Senator raised, Uisce Éireann is building capacity. We are funding it now to the tune of approximately €12 billion up to 2030. That is significant funding. Its personnel has also increased significantly in recent years. Its capacity is growing so it should be able to respond to issues like this. Wastewater can be far more problematic, as the Senator will be aware, but supply should be more straightforward, I think. I am not a water engineer so there may be technicalities there, but I will certainly bring back the message about communication.

Specifically on the projects at Allenwood reservoir, Hillsborough and Newbridge in County Kildare, Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services, including planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Neither I nor the Minister, Deputy Browne, has operational function in such matters. We always have to introduce that caveat when we speak about these matters. However, we made enquiries for the Senator and understand that the issues impacting supply that she raised are primarily due to sustained high demand on the network, which has led to critically low reservoir levels and intermittent outages for customers in the area. Uisce Éireann has a range of measures in place to address these challenges and restore stable supply. Pressure management and network reconfiguration measures are being implemented to optimise water distribution and improve resilience across the network. In addition, leakage detection is ongoing across the impacted wider network to identify and repair leaks as quickly as possible. The network is being closely monitored on an ongoing basis, with operational teams responding in real time to changing demand and supply conditions.

Turning to Hillsborough, Newbridge, I am informed that a combination of operational issues occurred in the area yesterday impacting water pressure and supply, including unauthorised abstraction of water from the network by a third party. In addition, a leaking air valve was identified and repaired and a burst watermain in the Greatconnell area, which serves Hillsborough, was also repaired earlier that day. These issues coincided with a period of exceptionally high demand on the network, which further increased pressure on local supply. To support network recovery, Uisce Éireann plans to carry out a controlled overnight operation to optimise water levels in storage, which is not expected to result in any impact on customers.

As I said, there is nothing in the answer about the communication issues the Senator highlighted. It is certainly something I will report back.The Senator can see that operational procedures are being carried out to improve distribution and remedy the issue around pressure and leakages. I can speak to this as it is an issue in my constituency. Where there are repeated leakages, it is almost like a patchwork that needs to be constantly fixed. If leakages are happening at such a frequent level, the best thing to do is to completely replace the pipework. In the long run, that is the way to go. I will speak to Uisce Éireann about that option. I thank the Senator for raising the issue.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate that he and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, have responsibility for this but their voices are very strong in terms of the messages they can bring from the floor of this House to bodies such as Uisce Éireann. I beseech the Minister of State to use his voice, as I know he will. There is a very clear explanation for Hillsborough, which I accept.

The Minister of State said there are a range of measures in place to address the challenges and referred specifically to the Allenwood reservoir. It serves the Allenwood area, but is not a reservoir in Allenwood; it is actually in Allen, which is a different place. The pressure management and network reconfiguration measures being implemented are not giving me any peace of mind. I have written to Uisce Éireann and will do so again.

On what the Minister of State said about communication, Councillor Daragh Fitzpatrick told me yesterday that he put three CRMs over the previous three days into Uisce Éireann and did not get a response to one of them. When our public representatives, who are doing such a good job, are not getting any communication, that is a problem. I ask that the message go out loud and clear that we want honest and time-bound information, as well as a resolution to the issue itself.

Part of the Minister of State's area of responsibility is the National Parks and Wildlife Service. He does an excellent job in that regard and I admire the work he does. The Curragh Plains is something we have spoken about. We have discussed the possibility of the land being transferred from the Department of Defence to the Minister of State's Department. I hope we will get an update on that at some point.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator. In response to her last question on the Curragh Plains, it is an iconic and famous area for many reasons. Many of us pass through it every week. I often look at it and consider its potential from a nature and biodiversity point of view. It could be extraordinary if we managed to look after it in the right way. The Senator has actively raised this issue over the years. We are considering how to come to some type of agreement with the other Department and stakeholders involved. Obviously, the Department of Defence would be involved. We will speak to it and determine whether something can be done. There are a range of complex issues. There is incredible horse racing in the area, sheep grazing is a tradition on the Curragh and the public use it as an amenity. The Army and Department of Defence are involved. I confirm that we are actively looking at the matter. I thank the Senator for raising it.

On Uisce Éireann, I will get the message back to it that it needs to prioritise engagement and proper communication with the Senator, local representatives and, most importantly, the vulnerable people who are experiencing issues with water.