Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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302. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if there are plans to introduce limits in regulations for water hardness and lime; the supports that are available to persons who have high levels of lime in their water; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24456/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Hard water is safe to drink and meets the required drinking water standards, some households may choose to soften their water supply however, this is a matter of personal choice.

The European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations 2014 require that any water supplied is wholesome and clean. Hardness and lime are not included as parameters in the Schedule to these Regulations. There are no plans to introduce maximum permissible limits as these parameters do not pose a risk to human health.

Water hardness is a natural characteristic in much of Ireland's drinking water supply that does not cause regulatory deficiencies and it is not within the criteria for the purpose of grant assistance schemes.