Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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17. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the action that is being taken to address the concerning issue of lead in the water supply; if grant assistance will be provided to those home owners affected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22065/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Under the European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations 2014, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas library, suppliers of drinking water are required to ensure that the water supplied complies with the chemical and microbiological parameters set out in the Regulations. Details of monitoring requirements along with the procedures to be followed and the roles of water suppliers, the EPA and the HSE, where there is non-compliance with the parametric values set out in the Schedules to the Regulations, are clearly laid out in the Regulations.

The Water Services Act 2007 provides that the owner of a premises is responsible for the maintenance and renewal of the internal water distribution system. Responsibility for replacing lead pipes from the main stopcock to the house and within the house therefore rests with the homeowner. In a joint position paper on lead published by the EPA and HSE in 2013, it is recommended that all lead pipes and plumbing in public and private ownership should be replaced over time.

Earlier this week the Government approved a National Strategy to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water. The Strategy was prepared by my Department in consultation with the Department of Health, Irish Water, the HSE and the EPA, in order to map the scale of the problem and identify measures to mitigate any risks to human health posed by lead in drinking water. As part of the Strategy I will be establishing a new grant scheme to assist low income households to replace lead pipes in their home. The scheme will be administered by local authorities and in line with Drinking Water regulations, the available resources will be prioritised to areas of highest risk. Funding for this measure in 2016 will be finalised in the context of Budget 2016.