Uisce Éireann engagement
Deputy O'Rourke says repeated water outages in Meath are badly handled and that Uisce Éireann’s engagement with communities is inadequate. The Tánaiste says he will raise the matter with the Minister and insists communities should be properly engaged.
We have had the wettest March on record with a huge amount of rain, but in Ratoath and Ashbourne we have consistent problems with water outages, shortages and restrictions. There is an investment programme. It is late, but it is welcome. The issue I will raise is Uisce Éireann's engagement with public representatives, local businesses, local communities, families, householders and children with disabilities. There is a charter in place but its engagement is wholly inadequate. Its support for communities when there are outages is wholly inadequate. Does the Tánaiste agree and, if so, what will he do about it?
Comment on this
I will raise the issues raised by the Deputy with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. There should be engagement with communities. There has to be. I will pursue that.
On the earlier point, given the rain that is falling we should not be short of water. I put that question to Uisce Éireann when I was Taoiseach a number of years ago. All of us, collectively as a society, should collect water when it rains and store it. If we get a notice this summer saying we need to reduce our water usage, it will be some moment for the country; I will put it that way.