Clonard and Enfield water supply
Aisling Dempsey criticised long-running water failures in Clonard and Enfield and delays to promised works. The Minister regretted the poor communication and said Uisce Éireann must make customer service and planning a core part of its investment programme.
People in Clonard and Enfield in my constituency of Meath West are very angry about their water supplies or lack thereof. Abbeyfields and Meadow View in Clonard are home to about 150 houses. They have not been served properly by a proper water service for over 30 and 40 years, respectively. Finally, in August, Uisce Éireann confirmed a new bore hole would be dug there and that it was imminent, along with an improvement in communications but neither has happened. Machinery is on-site but again, no one is quite sure what is happening.
Improvements have happened in Enfield over the years and we have finally secured a new reservoir there but once again, residents have endured 14 nights out of a recent 16 without a drop of water. Communications from Uisce Éireann are abysmal, inaccurate and often arrive after the fact. It is not good enough. There are businesses, delis, butchers and cafés that have to close when they have no water. Schools, nursing homes and people's lives are disrupted and negatively impacted. There is no tankering, there is no proper communication and there is no accountability from Uisce Éireann. It has to stop.
Comment on this
I thank the Deputy. I regret that Irish Water has not properly communicated with her constituents, businesses and critical services in Enfield and beyond.
When we are investing in Irish Water, there will be a focus on the importance of public service performance. As €12 billion is allocated to it over the next five years, it needs to ensure that customer service, communication and engagement are critical parts of its wider investment programme. When it is doing overall capital investment in the community, there will be disruption at times. It is important that it can be planned for and that there is much better engagement. We will ask the Minister, Deputy Browne, to engage with Irish Water and properly respond to it to ensure there is better engagement going forward.