Rural water supply problems
Deputy Conway-Walsh said Uisce Éireann is failing rural Mayo communities and leaving several schemes in limbo. The Taoiseach said he would ask the Minister for Housing to respond directly.
The Minister is washing his hands of rural water and Irish Water is becoming more unaccountable. As we speak some communities in Mayo are going without a reliable supply of drinking water, communities like Downpatrick Head, Aghinish, Murrisk, Clearagh, and Enagh Beg. Uisce Éireann is just not co-operating with the local authorities. The sureties are being wrongly charged. Other community water schemes have been left in limbo for years, such as Aghadoon, Carn, Crimlin-Ross, Foxpoint, Lecarrow, Pullathomish, Newtownwhite, Derreens, Crumpaun, Ballysakeery, Ballyholan and Castlereagh. Debt builds up in these water schemes all the time. That debt is used by Irish Water as an excuse not to take the schemes in charge. Years are going by and no progress is being made. The Minister needs to stop blaming the group water schemes. The unaccountability of Irish Water is completely unacceptable.
Comment on this
I appreciate the Deputy is raising very important issues of real interest to the communities she mentioned. I do not know enough about the individual schemes to give her a detailed reply. I will certainly advise the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, that she has raised it in the Dáil and ask him to come back to her directly.