Other Members’ Questions

On Friday, 9 October, at 7.30 p.m, Uisce Éireann issued a "do not consume" notice to over 11,000 customers in south Tipperary. The impression was given that there had been a failure at the Goatenbridge plant that day, that aluminium levels were too high and that urgent action had been taken. Chaos ensued over the following days. I thank the Uisce Éireann staff on the ground who helped out with the water in the following days. Families, businesses, schools, childcare providers, farmers and vulnerable people were left scrambling for information. What happened, however, was that this was not an urgent decision taken on an extreme measure on a Friday evening. Aluminium levels had, in fact, exceeded the EU safe levels for most of the previous month. Indeed, on 4 October, five days before the "do not consume" notice was introduced, aluminium levels in our water were in excess of 2,300 mg per litre, almost 12 times the EU safe level of 200 mg per litre and two and a half times the much higher World Health Organization levels, yet Uisce Éireann waited five days to inform the public that the water was not safe to consume. What is most concerning is that the community was not given the full picture or the truth. Elected representatives were kept in the dark and the truth only emerged when we put down a freedom of information request. That is not acceptable. Naturally, trust in the safety of public water has been severely damaged and it will take a long time for it to be regained. The public on this line were on a boil water notice all summer. It was the driest summer we have ever had. The whole of Tipperary town has been on a boil water notice since last February. It is a shocking state of affairs in south Tipperary. On the "do not consume" notice, Uisce Éireann said on Friday that a critical upgrade had been completed. How can that be the case if we are still on a boil water notice and we cannot drink the water in the taps? I live in the area. How can the critical upgrades be completed if we still cannot drink the water? This raises fundamental questions about the transparency and lack of accountability in Uisce Éireann. When Members ask parliamentary questions of Ministers, we are told the Ministers have no responsibility. Fine Gael, the Minister's party, set up Uisce Éireann under Phil Hogan. It is time that we had accountability to this House because it is accountable to nobody. Does the Minister accept that we cannot allow a situation whereby Uisce Éireann is completely unaccountable to the House when it comes to operational matters? Will the Government commit to supporting Private Members' legislation of mine and bringing forward its own legislation to make Uisce Éireann accountable and answerable to parliamentary questions? We cannot have this cabal doing what it is doing. The CEO is getting €7,500 per week. An increase of over €100,000 in his salary was approved recently. It is shocking. It beggars belief that this is going on. There is no accountability whatsoever. The public needs full disclosure at all times in respect of safety. Deputy Carroll MacNeill is the Minister for Health. We have not heard a peep from the HSE or the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA. They are all the time telling us that they are monitoring and doing things in conjunction with Irish Water. We have asked questions of them and have had to resort to FOI requests to get answers. This is scandalous. I am glad the Minister of Health is here to take this matter. It is a critical health issue for old people and especially for babies.

I thank the Deputy. The "do not consume" notice was lifted for customers on the Ardfinnan regional water supply scheme on Monday, 19 October, following consultation with the HSE. The lifting of that notice followed the completion of critical works at Goatenbridge water treatment plant, an extensive and targeted flushing programme across the network, and comprehensive water quality sampling at both the plant and across the regional network over the weekend. However, as the Deputy is aware and has highlighted, customers must continue to boil water before drinking, preparing food and drinks, brushing teeth or making ice as the boil water notice remains in place. The focus for Uisce Éireann is now on getting to a point where that boil water notice can be lifted as quickly and safely as possible. The completion of works at Goatenbridge water treatment plant is an important step. There will be further testing and monitoring to continue to provide the evidence required. That will be done in consultation with the HSE, which the Deputy correctly identified as a key partner in that regard. That is what is important in determining when the boil water notice can safely be lifted. As the Deputy correctly identified, it impacts many different people, but particularly more vulnerable people. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter.

I am disappointed with the Minister's reply. As the Minister for Health, she must be concerned about what is happening. Seventy-nine samples were taken during October and 69 of them were above the safe limit, yet we were not told for a month and the public were not informed. There is absolutely no accountability. The Minister said critical works had been completed. We are still on a boil water notice. That is not fit for purpose. If we cannot drink the water and the critical upgrade has been completed, we are in an awful situation. Tipperary town has been on a boil water notice since last February. There is no information as to when the notice will be removed. Many parts of south Tipperary are affected. At points during the summer, 50,000 customers had no water for days and weeks on end. How are businesses supposed to operate? Farmers got no information at all. But for social media, Councillor Molly McGrath and others who talked to people about the issue, many people would not have known about it for days because they are not on social media. The Civil Defence was not used, as it used to be, to leaflet houses and tell people. They were drinking the water. The following week, when I was visiting the people on strike, I got a call from a family who knew nothing about the issue with the water. They were still drinking it. They asked me to drop water to them and I did. I thank the Uisce Éireann staff on the ground for their help. I also thank the security personnel and the companies that delivered the water. Irish Water is fundamentally not working.

I thank the Deputy. Knowledge of the difficulty is important. I highlight the role of local radio, in particular Tipp FM, which provides an important service to constituents, including being able to highlight issues of this significance. Of course, the boil water notice continues until the issue has been addressed but, pardon the pun, it still has to flush through the system to ensure it is all clear. Ongoing testing is necessary. It is not an immediate solution and there is a boil water notice following the "do not consume" notice. Uisce Éireann's upgrade programme at the plant is nearing completion. It is committed to improving the reliability and resilience of the Ardfinnan regional water supply. It does require sustained investment to strengthen the overall water supply. Throughout the period of the notice, tankers, boiled water and bulk water supplies have been made available to try to support communities across the affected area, which is important. Alternative water supplies will continue to be provided to more vulnerable customers while the boil water notice remains in place.

Is Irish Water going to be made accountable to this House?