2026-04-28

I thank the Minister of State for being here this evening to take this question. I appreciate that. The Minister of State will not need me to tell him that the people of Kildare and the eastern region are sincerely sick and tired of waking up to dry taps. In Kildare, in particular, we have had such consistent outages over the past number of weeks and months in many different areas that frustration is really at boiling pint at this stage. For context, we saw in the census very recently that Kildare's population 100 years ago was 50,000-odd people. Fast-forward 100 years and it is nearly over 250,000 at this stage. It is the fastest growing county in the country. That population has doubled in 30 years. We have had huge population growth, but I cannot understate the impact that has had on the services, most specifically when it comes to water. It is really having an enormous impact on people's lives. We had a nice few days last week with a bit of sunshine. People woke up on Sunday morning to hear that in 24 hours, with no notice, Allenwood reservoir had run dry. A lot of pockets of these same communities only four, six and eight weeks ago were told there is a risk of planned flooding because the reservoirs were too high. It seems that we cannot deal with too much water and we cannot deal with too little water. My worry and my analysis keep bringing me to this point: where is the political accountability or oversight here? My concern is that without direct involvement at ministerial level, the utility is missing some sort of accountability. We have had it before the Committee of Public Accounts. We have had really thorough and robust engagement with the representatives. However, that is a very rare opportunity for political questioning. As a TD, as any Member of this House will know, if we put a question to the Minister for housing who has ultimate responsibility, the first line of every parliamentary reply is that water is not his responsibility. The Minister of State has been here as a councillor. He knows all too well the number of queries or contacts a county councillor will get about water, whether it is planned outages, unplanned outages or capital works. People go to the authority or the local authority and they say it is not their problem either. TDs cannot get answers from a Minister and councillors cannot get answers from the local authority and so people go to the rep desk. I am sure it will be part of the Minister of State's response that the rep desk is there but if he has used it, he will know that you will wait weeks upon weeks for an answer that ultimately does not ask. Really, it goes beyond what is acceptable in terms of any sort of real, thorough engagement. I am asking with great sincerity tonight, not just for Kildare at all, although it is significantly felt in Kildare, but right across the region. Is there an appetite within the Minister of State, the Department or with Government colleagues to further increase political accountability and oversight here? I accept that many bodies are established to allow a set of professionals, in this instance, Uisce Éireann, to get on with the work and to escape any sort of political influence. That is laudable. However, the Comptroller and Auditor General and many others have noted that Uisce Éireann is quite specific in its set-up. We know the origins of that. My worry is there is a lack of strategy here, a lack of oversight and a lack of transparency within which political representatives, whether they be councillors, Senators or TDs, can get access to timely information. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply. I sincerely emphasise that piece with regard to Kildare.

I thank the Deputy for raising what is obviously an important matter. It is an issue of concern both locally and nationally. I appreciate the impact and challenges that shortages and outages of water have on communities around the country where they occur. As the Deputy will be aware, since 1 January 2014, Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at a national, regional and local level, including investment in wastewater treatment plants, returning wastewater safely to the environment in an efficient and sustainable manner and supplying drinking water to the population across the country. That being said, the Government is equally concerned with ensuring citizens receive adequate water services and as such is delivering significant investment in our water infrastructure. In response to the complex challenges facing the water sector, we have developed strategic objectives and supporting actions that will help us address our most critical needs and ensure that we continue to deliver sustainable water and wastewater services for the long term. These key objectives are highlighted in Uisce Éireann's water services strategic plan, which was approved by Government last year. The water services strategic plan presents Uisce Éireann's objectives for the next 25 years and the means by which they will be achieved. It aligns to requirements set out in the Water Services Act 2013. The first water services strategic plan was published in 2015. This was then replaced by the strategic service plan 2050, which was approved by the Minister, Deputy Browne, as I said, last year. Since 2014, Uisce Éireann's capital investment has grown from €300 million to €1.4 billion under budget 2026. This sustained investment will support the delivery of key strategic programmes and projects in our cities and regions to deliver the additional water service capacity required for new housing targets, while prioritising public health and safeguarding the environment. Uisce Éireann is also committed to improving water supply by reducing leakage and carrying out upgrades to the infrastructure to ensure it can obtain maximum output. Much of Ireland's drinking water is lost to leaks before it reaches our taps. To conserve this precious resource, Uisce Éireann has invested €2 billion to upgrade the underground water network across the country through the delivery of a leakage reduction programme. It is continuing this work with over €1 billion in further investment up to the end of 2029 to fix leaks and replace pipes to improve service and provide a more reliable water supply. The revised national development plan, which was launched last July by Government, provides record funding of €12.2 billion for the water sector, of which €11.7 billion will be allocated to Uisce Éireann to support the delivery of large projects and critical infrastructure required to deliver 300,000 new dwellings by 2030. Uisce Éireann has said it is committed to delivering a multibillion euro capital investment programme under the revised national development plan. Major projects in every part of the country are being progressed, including two generational investments in the water infrastructure - the greater Dublin drainage project and the water supply project for the eastern and midlands region. Under the NDP, €2.5 billion has been specifically allocated for these projects. This overall investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and wastewater services, not only meeting the Government's commitments in the programme for Government but also meeting Ireland's obligations under UN goals. These are very serious issues. Of course, I accept the Deputy's bona fides in raising these matters. Other Deputies have concerns around the country as well. The response times are something that the Minister, Deputy Browne, has raised directly with Uisce Éireann.

I thank the Minister of State for that response. Even in Kildare, you can see the impact of that funding. You can see the works happening from a capital perspective, whether it is roadworks or significant works that are happening to unlock that residential development within the county. The problem is we are midway through that in Kildare and I wonder whether the capacity is increasing at reservoir level. That is a concern for me as a wider piece. The Minister of State might come back in on that. The bit that irks me a little, if I am honest, is that I am genuinely curious as to the nature of the relationship between the Department and the body itself. How involved is the Minister or how involved can he be, when we heard at the Committee of Public Accounts that nearly 94% of Uisce Éireann staff got their full bonuses in 2024? That smacks in the face people in Leixlip, for example, who have been noting, in 2026, unplanned outages in February and twice in April; and in 2025, in January, March, twice in May, twice in July and December. When these outages happen, the staff on the ground are phenomenal at trying to minimise the impact on communities but there is something wrong at the core if this is continuously going to happen. As I said, the news a couple of months ago was that they might have to flood our community because the reservoir levels were too high and then, a couple of weeks later with a little sunshine, that water is gone and they have to turn our taps off. At this point, I offer my full support for greater oversight and greater communication networks between public representatives, the body and the Department. I welcome the billions of euro for infrastructure, which is more than needed, but what happens after that if the capacity remains a problem?

The Deputy raised valid points, particularly around the reservoir levels. Obviously, I cannot answer to that specific case in the Deputy's constituency, but he is correct in pointing out that the significant investment of taxpayer's money we are allocating to Uisce Éireann as a utility company to be able to deliver those generational projects, and also to deliver those smaller projects right across the country, is critical to ensuring we are able to develop the quantum of housing required for our people. Only two weeks ago, in Dungarvan, County Waterford, I turned the sod on a water facility, which is a €29.5 million investment. It is being replicated right across the country to build that resilience into the network, as in the wider Dungarvan area, not only for the existing population but for what will be projected going forward. In the context of the €12 billion we are allocating to water in the national development plan, every cent of that will be put to good use because we need to build that resilience into the network right across the country. It is true to say that there has been underinvestment in water over many years and catch-up is required. It is also true to say that Uisce Éireann needs to streamline its processes to ensure that infrastructure is delivered in a quicker manner. It is also true to say, and it has been raised by other Deputies, that communication needs to be better. That has been raised with Uisce Éireann by the Minister, Deputy Browne. For my own part, I have regular engagements with Uisce Éireann, particularly around connection times in relation to the developer-led infrastructure initiative and other matters, as the Minister has too. I assure the Deputy that while Uisce Éireann is there as a body, certainly the political involvement does occur.