Clonmel water outages
Deputy McGrath says repeated outages in Clonmel have damaged homes and businesses and left the town in crisis. The Minister says he recently visited Clonmel, will raise the outages with Uisce Éireann, and points to major national water investment.
The town of Clonmel in south Tipperary has been devastated this summer by water outages. It was one of the wettest summers in history and people were aghast to find that for 40 different days, there were outages at the Talbot Hotel in Clonmel and large parts of the town of Clonmel. People just cannot believe that Irish Water is treating its customers like this, both domestic and business people in the town, who have suffered damage to their equipment and everything else by these outages for that length of time. We cannot fill the reservoirs in the Galtee scheme or the Ardfinnan regional scheme or Lingaun in Carrick-on-Suir, and we have a number of sources for Clonmel.
The messing and downright tomfoolery that is going on with Irish Water and the neglect of its customers is appalling. When is the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, going to do something with this cabal that was set up by a Fine Gael Government and is not answerable to anybody? People are entitled to an answer. It is not a Third World country we live in. It is incredible to think that a town like Clonmel, the biggest inland town in the country, would be without water for 40 days since April of this year. It continued with outages at night, low pressure and everything else and there has been no engagement with Irish Water.
Comment on this
As the Deputy knows, just last week I visited Clonmel for the third time in 12 months.
Comment on this
The Minister did not call to see the hotel. He was taking photographs.
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It was fantastic, and I was delighted to bump into the Deputy when he was doing a bit of work as well that day.
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Seriously, on Uisce Éireann, and specifically about the water issue in Clonmel, I will raise it directly with them, particularly around water outages. It reports directly to the Department as well. There has never been more investment in water and wastewater services than now, with €6 billion of investment right across the country. There is a multi-annual capital plan in place and taking hold and it is improving things. Specifically on Clonmel, I will revert to the Deputy myself on that.