On 28 January, I raised with the Tánaiste the question of reservoirs in Enfield, Longwood and Ballivor, County Meath, and every week since there have been water interruptions in all these villages. Even this week in Ballivor there were interruptions in the water supply three or four times, meaning the children were going to school with uniforms being wiped down rather than washed and people are unable to have showers. People are also spending a lot of money on water from the shops.

This has gone on for years. In fairness to Meath County Council, it has planning in place for these three new reservoirs. There is a design in place and a contractor in place. The council is waiting on Irish Water to release €1.5 million for the project. People are sick and tired of the standard response from Irish Water. Will the Taoiseach write to Irish Water and ask it to release the funding for these three reservoirs in Longwood, Enfield and Ballivor as a matter of urgency? Access to water is a basic human right.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, allocated significant additional resources to Irish Water in 2020, particularly in the July stimulus programme, as well as in the Estimates for 2021. Of course, the objective of the allocation of those resources was to enhance water infrastructure, including reservoir provision, waste water treatment plants and so forth. I hope that those resources can be provided in this case in order that the necessary work can get the green light.