2026-02-05

Is iomaí pobail atá ag ullmhú do thuilte anois agus arís uile ina dtithe agus ina gcomhlachtaí. Tá imní orthu ar fud an Stáit agus tá siad ag mothú tréigthe. Tá sé seo ag tarlú roimh súile an Tánaiste agus ní rud nua é. Bhí sé agus tá sé i gcroílár an Rialtais le breis agus deich mbliana agus bhí sé ina Aire é féin le linn eachtraí tuilte arís agus arís eile. Le linn na blianta sin, thug Rialtais ina raibh sé ina bhall sinsireach dóibh dearbhaithe arís is arís eile go mbeadh cosaint bhuan ar deireadh i gcoinne tuilte, ach níl sé sin feicthe againn. Today, many communities are bracing themselves for repeat flooding of their homes and businesses. Homes have been destroyed and businesses have been wrecked. Families are once again clearing out the water and debris knowing this destruction was predictable and preventable. This is happening on the Tánaiste's watch and it is not new. He has been at the heart of Governments for more than a decade now. He has been a Minister during repeated flooding events and, during those years, Governments of which he was a senior member repeatedly assured communities that permanent flood defences would finally be delivered. After the floods of 2015 and 2016 when communities were devastated, he was the Minister of State with responsibility for flood defences. Yet years later, many of the same flood relief schemes identified, prioritised or advanced during that period remain incomplete, with a significant number still stuck at planning stage, or worse, at design stage, rather than being built. This is the reality behind his record of broken promises. This is not a failure of information; it is a failure of political follow through. In 2018, the Government completed a nationwide flood risk assessment. It knows where the danger points are. Nearly every county has flood relief issues and communities have been lobbying for action ever since. Yet, the figures are stark. There are 94 flood relief schemes that are described as ongoing, 68 of which have not even reached planning stage and 54 of which are not in active consideration at all. Many of these schemes were identified or progressed during the very years when communities were being assured by the Tánaiste that the Government was acting. Instead of accepting responsibility, the Government has blamed everyone but itself, the weather, local authorities, even Met Éireann has been thrown in for good measure. Met Éireann does not build flood defences. Local authorities do not decide on national capital priorities. The responsibility rests with the Government and the consequences of this are being felt by communities across the State in Aughrim, Arklow, Enniscorthy and Bunclody, where repeated flooding has damaged homes, businesses and vital infrastructure. Years of cuts to local authority road budgets since 2008 by successive Governments of which the Tánaiste was a member have left roads in a dreadful state. Flooding and heavy rain are now finishing them off, creating a serious road safety issue in counties like Wexford and Wicklow. Last week in Bunclody, a school bus was forced to abandon its route when the road beneath it collapsed and 53 families were affected. This damage was foreseeable. It was warned about and it was avoidable. Given the Tánaiste's record and the broken promises made during his years in government, what concrete action will he take now to ensure permanent flood relief is finally delivered? Will he set out clear decisions, timelines and funding commitments today for flood defences and emergency road repairs? Will these communities be asked to accept this and wait another ten years - another decade - and for another series of broken promises, clearing out their homes and businesses after every storm, while the Government recycles the same old promises, broken again and again?

Hear, hear

First, as we are not talking about this weather situation, we are not looking back; we are talking about here and now. I am conscious as we discuss this in the House today that a status orange weather warning is currently in place for counties Dublin, Wicklow, Waterford and now also County Louth. Yellow warnings are in place for nine other counties as well. On top of that, the Road Safety Authority has issued advice in the last little while asking people, particularly in the orange warning areas, but more generally as well, to try to avoid driving in impacted areas if possible today and if they do have to drive to allow significantly more time. We continue to work on this on a constant basis and have done so for what has been a prolonged period. I know well some of the communities that have been flooded, including communities in my county. The Government will do all we can to assist. We have already taken practical action in the here and now. The Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, opened a scheme for businesses to be able to get assistance and we took a decision this week to significantly increase the amount of financial assistance people can avail of, up to €100,000. There were 14 applications for that scheme when I last checked this morning. We opened the emergency assistance scheme for homeowners who have been affected and more than 100 claims have now been processed through it. Community welfare officers are on the ground helping people to avail of it and get assistance as quickly as they can. I have had a number of engagements in government this week. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, who is present in the House, for the huge amount of hard work he is putting in on the ground. He made the point to us which is worth amplifying that while a number of communities need large scale flood relief schemes - I will get to that in a moment - we cannot have a situation where there is a kind of impasse until those large scale schemes are delivered. We have to look at what can be done in the here and now. The Minister of State, Deputy Moran, made the point to me, that in such areas as Portrane, Clontarf and Listowel relatively minor works have made a real and meaningful difference. The Government's focus in the days ahead will be to work intensively with local authorities to identify what more can be done in the here and how, like AquaDams, pumps, embankments and minor works, alongside advancing the major flood relief schemes. It is not a question of blaming anyone. Met Éireann does an absolutely excellent job. There is no doubt about that, but there is a legitimate question to be asked about how we can modernise our warning systems even further. I hope the Deputy agrees with that. It should not be a partisan issue. A yellow rain warning can mean one thing if the river levels are low. It can mean a very different thing if the river levels are high. The county by county warning system can sometimes be misleading. The rain and wind do not neatly abide by county boundaries. There is a legitimate conversation to have about what more information we can put into the public domain, listening to the experts, scientists and local authorities. That is what we intend to do. More broadly, a lot of progress has been made on flood relief. There is €1.3 billion in funding in the national development plan to deliver major flood relief schemes. The OPW has already completed 56 flood relief schemes, protecting 13,000 properties and avoiding estimated damage of around €2 billion. We have seen 900 projects already funded and approved through the OPW's so-called minor works schemes. Ten schemes are under construction nationwide, including in Athlone, Crossmolina, Glashaboy, King's Island, the Morell River, Morrison's Island, the Poddle River, the River Wad, Templemore and Whitechurch. We will need, and I hope we will, have cross-party support on this. As well as doing the interim works I have mentioned, we will need to look at how we can assess this as critical infrastructure alongside a number of other areas. The Government intends to bring forward a critical infrastructure Bill. It is working around the clock on this with State agencies. I thank the people on the front line for the work they are doing in this extraordinarily challenging situation.

Let us park the weather forecast to one side because that is not our responsibility.

That is a disgraceful comment.

RTÉ does a fine job with that. Let us deal with what we are responsible for. The Tánaiste has been a Minister through flood after flood. What did the Tánaiste say, sorry?

That is a disgraceful comment.

Let us look at what the Tánaiste is responsible for. He has been a Minister in Cabinet, indeed even Taoiseach, during flood after flood. Each time, communities were told that action would follow. He talks about the new buzzword "the here and now". I am talking about what has happened in the last ten years, because people were promised that there would be action from the Government. Does the Tánaiste know how many schemes have been delivered since he made the promise in 2016? It is not 56; that number goes back to 1997. Did he know that? That is 30 years ago. Since the Tánaiste became a Minister, promising people that his Government would take action, only 17 major schemes have been completed. One hundred and forty-eight schemes have been identified. These are areas that are prone to flooding, identified by a specialised report, and none of those 148 have been completed. Some are not even in design stage yet. That is not the here and now. That is ten years on.

I thank the Deputy.

What is going to be different this time? Please do not recite the weather again. What is the Government going to do differently this time to fulfil the promises that it made to communities ten years ago that have seen repeated flooding and families having to clean out debris, their houses and their businesses, with no action from Government on the horizon?

I hope I will get the same latitude. Deputy Doherty just cannot help himself. Flood warnings are in place in Northern Ireland. If, God forbid, anywhere floods in Northern Ireland, I am not going to blame Michelle O'Neill, because this is not about party politics or partisan politics. This is about acting. If the Deputy wants to say that me doing my job, coming into this House and amplifying, as we have been asked-----

I want you to build the flood reliefs. Build the flood reliefs. That is your job. Do you want to tell the families to get the sandbags ready? Protect the communities. You have had ten years to do it.

Leave the bully boy antics out of the Chamber today and just for once take off the party jersey. If you are suggesting that amplifying, as we have been asked to do by the RSA, the fact that people should be careful on the roads today and avoid driving-----

Stop, stop

If you are suggesting that the glib weather forecast-----

Answer the question.

People are watching this today and it is extremely important to get the facts out.

Please answer your broken promises. Diversion tactics.

I do not care about engaging with Deputy Doherty but the people who are-----

The Tánaiste, please.

Please, Deputy. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. A bit of decorum would be great. People are looking at this today and want to know what is going to happen, and I want to tell them. There will be an increased focus on allowing local authorities to fast-track more works that can be done in the here and now. There are already examples, with 900 that have been delivered. Flood relief schemes have been classified as critical infrastructure. There is an overhaul of the flood warning schemes and help for people, including business assistance and humanitarian assistance. I also hope-----

Is the Tánaiste embarrassed?

-----the party that are climate deniers will come back and have a discussion.

Seventeen schemes in ten years. Is he embarrassed? He should be. He has abandoned those communities over and over again.

They are not listening.

Today is not a day for party politics but, unfortunately for Deputy Doherty, he just cannot reach deeper, even on a day like today. Shame on you, Pearse.

Shame on you. You have left your own communities abandoned. Seventeen schemes in ten years, or do you want to go back 30 years? You should be embarrassed.

Deputies, please. Every Thursday morning-----

Twenty years-----

Deputy Gould. Every Thursday morning is turning into a bad exchange between the Tánaiste and Deputy Doherty.

It is what-----

No, it is between both of you

He who is without sin

I appeal to Members around the House to please observe a bit of decorum and respect. Make your point, by all means, and be as robust as you wish, but recognise the time that has been given and that people are listening and suffering because of the floods, so they need to get information as well.

"Who will care for our daughter when we are no longer able to do so? Nobody is able to answer that question." These are the words of Tony Murray, a 71-year-old man from Dublin who is at his wits' end looking for answers. Tony and his wife Susan are full-time carers for their 42-year-old daughter, Aoife, who has an intellectual disability. They are just one of the thousands of families where elderly parents are working as full-time carers well into their 70s, 80s and even 90s. Adults with intellectual disabilities deserve to live with dignity, security and independence but, as Tony said on Newstalk yesterday, there is no plan to even have a plan for housing adults with intellectual disabilities. There is no thought-out system in place in the devastating circumstance of parents passing away. Instead, what takes place is a haphazard series of events that can be incredibly traumatic for the person who is taken into care. Tony described how he feels the State is waiting for him to die. Only then might there be an emergency placement for his daughter. Aoife will be taken from her home and brought to a not-for-profit care home that could be anywhere in the country. Over a period of a few weeks, Aoife will have lost her parent, her primary carer, her home, her friends and any semblance of the life she once knew. This is why Tony has started the campaign Before We Die to fight for appropriate housing for adults with intellectual disabilities. It is shocking that such a group needs to exist in a country with the resources at the Government's disposal. These families have already spent their life battling at every corner for therapies, school places and respite services. Nothing is straightforward and everything must be fought for. Now, the very act of planning for a future when they will not be around is met with a brick wall put up by the State. There is no plan and no system. Their cherished son or daughter will have their life upended. Why are parents in their 70s, 80s and even 90s being left to worry about what happens to their loved ones when they die? Why is there no plan? Why is there no transition to appropriate accommodation for adults with intellectual disabilities?

I thank Deputy O'Callaghan for raising this important issue. I thank Tony for his advocacy in relation to his daughter, Aoife, and for speaking up for all the other mums and dads. This is an issue I have come across in my own constituency when I knock on a hall door and meet somebody behind it who, not to age people, is perhaps in his or her 70s or 80s. Deputy Whitmore meets these people in Wicklow too. They have been doing their best. In some cases, the family are working well, but are of course worried about what will happen to their loved one if and indeed when they pass on. It is a real issue. I am familiar with the work of the group Before We Die. I have been following some of its advocacy, particularly in recent weeks. I happened to have a conversation with the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, on this earlier this week. She will meet this group next week, I think on Wednesday, about its specific campaign. When we raise these issues, Government members generally read through statistics and talk about progress we see, and Opposition members talk about areas in which they do not believe we have seen enough progress. I want to be clear that we have not made enough progress in this area. The issue is legitimate and real. It is one reason why we have increased the budget for disability services by 20% this year, so there is an extra €618 million. Of that, €40 million is going to provide new residential places. I think there is a commitment to at least 152 new residential places. It will require a conversation that is deeper than just the number of residential places because not all people are the same, not all people with a disability are the same and not all needs are the same. The Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, is very committed to working with this group but also more broadly, under the national disability strategy, in terms of how we get this plan in place. The Deputy used the word "transition" in the context of transition plans when a person with a disability wants to move from primary school to secondary school. At the other end of the life spectrum, there is the need for that level of transition planning and much earlier conversation. At a high level, we are increasing the disability budget significantly. We now see 8,911 residential places provided for people with disabilities between the HSE and 90 service providers. We have provided significant additional funding this year for more places. That is important and welcome. Between 2020 and 2025, we created 955 new priority one residential places. Is it enough? The answer is "No". Is there complexity beyond the number of places in terms of having a person-centred approach? There is and we look forward as a Government to engaging with this group through the Minister of State next week. I will also ask that she might engage with the relevant Oireachtas committee about how we develop a way forward on this.

I thank the Tánaiste for his response. The disability capacity review in 2021 identified a very urgent need to substantially increase the amount of appropriate housing for adults with intellectual disabilities. What precisely has been done on foot of that review in 2021? The State is literally waiting for the advocates for people with intellectual disabilities to die before anything happens so not only do they lose their parent, carer and person who is looking after them, they also lose the person who has been advocating for them. This is completely and utterly wrong. When will transition planning be put in place? It is welcome that the Minister of State will meet with the group but the Tánaiste cannot stand over, and to be fair, he has not stood over, the current situation. When will the Government act decisively so the State no longer just waits for parents, carers and advocates for people with intellectual disabilities to die before any arrangements are put in place?

It is a fair question. I understand why the Deputy says what he says and why parents can feel like that. Certainly the State is not waiting for that to happen but we need to avoid that emergency and cliff-edge moment where the conversation the State has with the person with a disability only happens at a moment of crisis, personal trauma and loss. That is what we need to get much better at. The Deputy asked about what we have done regarding the disability capacity review. We have genuinely tried to ramp up significantly the investment in disability services, both capital and current. I can point to additional places. I do think, and I say this humbly because I do not profess to speak for parents or people with disabilities about this, that there are probably mixed needs in terms of services. Some people are living in a family home and may have other family relatives. Other people manage to live reasonably independently in that home and they may need a level of in-reach support. Some people may require a residential place. It involves pulling all that together. Between the Minister and Minister of State using the structure of the national disability strategy, it is our intention to bring that forward. The Minister of State has a meeting next week. In fairness to the seriousness of the issue, I will then come back to the Deputy in writing in terms of the next steps.

After the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the Minister for Transport announced an important measure to ban scrambler bikes in the wake of the tragic death of Grace Lynch. That measure is vitally needed and must come with greater enforcement. From media reports, I understand a second proposal was withdrawn at or before the meeting that would have made helmets and high-vis jackets mandatory for people using e-scooters, e-bikes and ordinary pushbikes. An Garda Síochána would be empowered to fine those without a helmet making this a criminal matter. No EU country makes helmets mandatory for cyclists on a push bike because they know that to criminalise the users of ordinary bikes in this way makes no sense. It would overnight row back the significant progress made over the past ten years in the uptake of cycling. How would Dublinbikes or Bleeper work if a helmet is mandatory? The ability of a bike to facilitate a simple daily activity is suddenly constrained if merely cycling your bike is criminalised. Of course, helmets are an important part of how cyclists can protect themselves but criminalising the absence of a helmet is basically saying that we are going to reduce cycling deaths and injuries by reducing cycling itself. Yesterday at a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, we heard from cycling organisations about the measures they want to see implemented to make them safer so we do not see 14 cyclists die on our roads this year like we did last year. We heard their' frustration at the Government's U-turn on a decision that was made by the previous Government to split the Road Safety Authority to allow it to focus on its safety mandate and they voiced real anger at the Government's decision to delay the introduction of life-saving 30 km/h zones in built-up areas. Here are actual policy proposals, evidence-based, that will make journeys safer for all vulnerable road users, including cyclists, yet the proposal the Government seems to be prioritising is one that puts all the responsibility back on the cyclist, and not on the dangerous road environment we have to negotiate and the big cars that knock us down. IrishCycle.com reports that the Tánaiste is one of the main people pushing mandatory helmets for cyclists on a push bike. I do not know if that is true. Is it true? Is he aware that mandatory helmets for cyclists is seen as the primary barrier to new people taking up cycling in jurisdictions like Australia where it is in place? Why has the Government chosen to push this unevidenced measure when there are so many other steps it could take to make our roads safer for those of us on a bike and for everyone else?

I get blamed for everything sometimes but I am certainly not behind that proposal nor is there one. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue because road safety is an extraordinarily important issue. Our road safety statistics in this country are going in the wrong direction. We all think of Grace Lynch. We are pleased and proud in this House that the new regulation on scramblers will be named in her name, in her honour and in her memory. I think of her family this morning. The action we have taken regarding scramblers is important, proportionate and clear. Scramblers do not belong on public roads or in public spaces and there needs to be no ambiguity about that. Most people agree that we need to do more regarding e-scooters, most particularly in relation to our children. Somebody under the age of 16 is already not permitted to be on an e-scooter. However, talking to doctors, as we all do, they say that e-scooter accidents are the number one cause of induced brain trauma in children in Ireland. It is horrifying. Yes, it is illegal but when I talk to gardaí, the current structure is a bit cumbersome. We need to make it easier for An Garda Síochána to enforce the regulations and give gardaí the power of seizure. I think they have to issue summonses at the moment, which is too complex. The Minister for Transport and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, are coming back to Government on that. As the Deputy very clearly said, we need a conversation about how different users share the road. We need to do a hell of a lot more about that and education on road safety more generally. Of course, wearing a helmet is an important and safe thing to do - we all agree about that - but there are no plans to change the law to make that mandatory. That would be a really bad use of Garda time and the immediate answer to everything does not have to be a new law. I saw some reporting of the comments yesterday and found myself largely in agreement with many of the points being made by Cycling Ireland, which is why I was rather bemused by some of the reportage this morning but such is life. We can and should differentiate. The letter "e" is a bit of a giveaway. If something is motorised and electric and can do great speeds, that is one thing that needs to be looked at but with regard to traditional pushbikes, we should use education, engagement, enforcement of existing laws and continuing to make sure we invest in safe infrastructure. That is the Government position. The concerns articulated by Cycling Ireland reflect a broader evidence base on existing enforcement gaps. It makes the point about the risk of counterproductive regulation. At a time we are about simplification, I do not see the need for new legislation in this space.

I welcome the Tánaiste's confirmation that there are no proposals for mandatory helmets for cyclists using pushbikes. This would have been hugely damaging to the transition we are seeing and the supports we are seeing for people taking up cycle. We agree on the point of the need to differentiate between pushbikes and the electronically powered vehicles. Some of those vehicles, particularly scooters, are a major driver of brain injuries and many of those are already illegal. Under 16s using them is already a crime. The souped-up scooters are already illegal. The enforcement of those laws is key. Continuing in this spirit of agreement, I ask that the Tánaiste looks closely at what was said at the transport committee meeting yesterday by his former colleague, Ciarán Cannon. There is real anger about steps that the Government has taken in the past 12 months that are seen as directly damaging to road safety for all vulnerable users but particularly for cyclists.

I certainly will. I know Ciarán Cannon well from his past posting in the House. I know him to be a very good and reasonable person and a good, evidence-based advocate. He was in this House and he is in his new role. If there was ever an issue that we should not be partisan on, and it is not in our discussion, it is road safety. We all want to see a reduction in deaths and injuries. I think we are all alarmed - I am certainly alarmed - at the dangers we see on our roads. There are more distractions than ever before in cars. Some distractions are illegal and should not be happening while others just seem to happen. The environment, in general, is more distracting. There are more road users and a greater volume of vehicles. There has also been an increasing in cycling, which is a good thing that we want to continue to support, but driver and cyclist education is also important. I take the Deputy's point on e-scooters that there are laws and regulations there. I remain to be convinced that there is not more to be done on e-scooters. I just think there is. I am deeply concerned about this. The Deputy's comment on enforcement is definitely right. We also need to listen to An Garda Síochána to make sure that what we put in place is enforceable and practical. This is an important point, but I am happy to have further engagement with Cycling Ireland on this, and the Government will continue to engage closely.

Independent Ireland tabled a motion on Uisce Éireann two weeks ago. All we asked for was accountability and timelines. Nothing more and nothing unreasonable, yet the Government opposed it. It was shameful to oppose a motion that simply asked a semi-State body to answer to the people they are supposed to serve. Uisce Éireann will receive €2.2 billion from the Exchequer in 2026 and a staggering €13.6 billion between 2025 and 2029. With that level of public funding, this Government cannot wash its hands of responsibility. It is accountable for how this organisation behaves, but for some reason, the Government seems afraid to hold Uisce Éireann to account at all. Accountability is a small ask. Some communities have been waiting 28 years for a simple timeline on when their wastewater treatment plants will stop leaking into local drinking water and community playgrounds that were once meant for children. That is not politics. That is public health, public safety and basic respect for citizens. Instead of demanding answers, this Government signed off on a €108,000 salary increase for the CEO of Uisce Éireann taking his earnings from €225,000 to €333,000. This was approved by the board last Friday and sanctioned by the Government before Christmas. Uisce Éireann claims it reflects the scale of complexity of the role and the leadership needed to manage a €12.2 billion budget. How can anyone talk about accountability when the organisation's track record tells a different story? Niall Gleeson has been in leadership since 2019 and the CEO since 2022. During this period, delivery has gone from boom to bust. Before Irish Water took over, local authorities, even under massive pressure, always gave public representatives a timeline. Do you know what? That kept communities calm. What we get now is a copy and paste generic response that mocks the people who are already stretched beyond words. It is absolutely scandalous that a semi-State company's CEO is rewarded with €333,000 a year and the company cannot give a straight answer to the communities in crisis. Instead, we have wastewater plants leaking across this island, polluting local rivers and oceans and water mains that are constantly leaking. Uisce Éireann was hit with €20 million in fines last year for failing to meet leakage reduction targets, fines the taxpayer ultimately covers. While this is happening, this Government's priority seems to be signing off on a pay rise and bonuses, not accountability. In this year's budget, many workers got no relief whatsoever. Households are stretched to breaking point during a cost-of-living crisis, yet somehow the Government approved a €108,000 wage increase for the CEO while hard-working people got nothing. I am asking the Tánaiste the same question the nation is asking. How in God's name did the Government think it was appropriate to approve this massive salary increase at a time Uisce Éireann is failing communities and ordinary workers are getting absolutely nothing?

I acknowledge that this is an issue that the Deputy has raised a lot in this House. It relates to Uisce Éireann, how it functions and, perhaps almost as importantly, how it answers to and engages with the Government, the Oireachtas and communities as well. To be honest, I expect a bit better in relation to this too. I can assure the Deputy that it is not just an issue on his side of the House. On this side of the House, many of my colleagues point out the need for better community engagement and better engagement with public representatives. I spoke to the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne about this in recent days and to the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, who is due to meet Uisce Éireann shortly. We need to have a conversation. I saw a debate in the Dáil, I think it was last week, about how Uisce Éireann even answers to Oireachtas Members and that it is not included in parliamentary questions and the like. We need to look at getting a better information flow because, at the end of the day, we have to answer to our bosses, who are the people of Ireland and the people in our constituencies. We need that information and that regular and respectful engagement. The Government has an open mind on how to improve that flow of information in terms of accountability and the likes. We will engage on that with Irish Water as well. I want to make a broader point. It is, of course, answerable to quite a number of bodies. There is extensive oversight and regulatory control of Uisce Éireann as well. It is commercially audited in accordance with the Companies Act. It is subject to an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. It is subject to the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies. It is accountable to Oireachtas committees, including the public accounts committee, which is always a body that focuses the mind. The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities is responsible for the independent economic regulation of Uisce Éireann and that ensures that it operates efficiently as well. The Minister, Deputy Browne, has emphasised the importance of better and improved communication with elected representatives and with communities. He made that point when he met Uisce Éireann. He received assurances that it will be back to them with proposals on that. We want to see them urgently because this is an important issue in many communities right across our country. To be balanced in our comments, I want to point to some significant successes we have seen since the establishment of Uisce Éireann. For the first time we have a single public water utility organisation. We have seen the investment in infrastructure grow from just €300 million in 2014 to €1.4 billion as part of the budget that we agreed in this House last year. We have also seen significant improvement in the provision of water services in many areas. Hundreds of water and wastewater treatment plants have been upgraded. Thousands of kilometres of new or rehabilitated water mains have been installed. The national leakage rate is still too high but has been reduced, and, overall, the quality of drinking water does remain very high as well. One of the things I am most eager about is the developer-led infrastructure delivery. We had a frank conversation with Irish Water and I do not mind sharing it here. We have significantly increased the amount of taxpayer funding to that organisation. In return, we want to see developer-led infrastructure where relatively small-scale developers can deliver the infrastructure to an Irish Water standard, but they can deliver it. We also want to see an improvement in connection rates and a direct correlation between the extra investment we are giving to Uisce Éireann and the delivery of housing supply. I take the Deputy's point about engagement and accountability and I will be back to him on it.

As the Tánaiste said, answers and engagement from Uisce Éireann to Oireachtas Members is a non-goer. Any improvements there would be greatly welcomed because we are pulling the hair out of our heads to get responses for our communities. I do agree with the developer-led scheme he referred to because that is the only way we are going to deliver. I do, however, believe that people deserve pay increases too. I am not standing on this side of the House saying absolutely not, but how can I explain how this Government sought to reward the CEO of Uisce Éireann with a rise of 47% when others on the breadline got nothing? How can I tell the people of Adrigole, who were forced to close their crèche as they are two days without mains water and experienced 16 breaks since last June, that Uisce Éireann is looking after them or the people of Ballinascarthy and Shannonvale who went without water at Christmas or the people of Goleen, Ballydehob, Rosscarbery, Dunmanway and Shannonvale who are waiting decades for upgrades to their wastewater tanks? They never get any updates as to what is happening and when it is going to happen. How can I tell Councillor Noel Thomas in Galway that the new wastewater treatment plant in Connemara will deliver across to Carraroe, Costello, Tully and Ros an Mhíl? I cannot as Uisce Éireann has become untouchable and non-contactable on its road to non-delivery, but shamefully this Government saw fit to give the CEO a 47% pay rise without a shred of accountability. It is little wonder that the Government refused Independent Ireland's motion on timelines and accountability. Simply put, it stinks. It stinks to the high heavens.

The only reason I am smiling is I thought it was a very good way of sticking in the name of the Deputy's by-election candidate. We will select our by-election candidate on 22 February for Galway West. The point the Deputy made is a very serious one. I take his support for the developer-led infrastructure. It is important. It is particularly important in rural communities where even forgetting developers, local authorities and public representatives say to us they could deliver 15 homes here or 20 or 30 homes there. If that is added up across the country, it is quite a lot of homes but we need to have the ability to put in the water infrastructure. Yes, this was done badly in the past but that is not a reason to not go back and do it properly this time. We did not have an Irish Water in the past to oversee it but we do now. I expect progress on that by the end of this month and we are engaging closely on that. In relation to Adrigole, which the Deputy referenced, I am told that a case for mains rehabilitation works is currently under consideration by Uisce Éireann. I ask that it would assess that quickly because I know this is causing a significant challenge for the Deputy's constituents as well. Ultimately, CEOs of all semi-State agencies need to be judged on the basis of their performance. We have resourced Uisce Éireann. It has a good leadership team, we have resourced it well and now it needs to get on with the job.