Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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211. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when the lead pipes in St. Anne's in Raheny, Dublin 5 will be replaced. [22833/15]

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. The joint position paper also recommends that persons in premises with lead piping should, in the meantime, flush the supply at the kitchen tap first thing in the morning, before using. The full document is available to download from the HSE's website at:

Earlier this week I announced a National Strategy to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water which has been approved by the Government. The Strategy was prepared by my Department and the Department of Health in consultation with 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. Details of the scheme are being finalised but it is envisaged that the grant 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.