Peadar Tóibín confronts Taoiseach over Ischgairn water crisis
Peadar Tóibín challenged the Taoiseach in the Dáil over persistent water failures in Uisce Éireann and surrounding towns, citing weeks without proper supply, tanker costs and a six-week hosepipe ban. He pressed the government and Irish Water to commit to fixing leaks that are delaying housing and forcing local services to close.
Peadar Tóibín details the on-the-ground consequences: towns and villages in his county without proper water for weeks, a local school forced to close, and Uisce Éireann spending €250,000 a year to truck water to Bolivar. He highlights a 36% water leakage rate, fines of €20 million for missed targets, and an admission that gaps preventing new homes will not be filled until 2050.
Tóibín directly accuses the government of failing to maintain basic services and asks whether the Taoiseach will commit to fixing Uisce Éireann. The exchange foregrounds the role of Irish Water and the state in securing household supplies, even amid unusual weather patterns and hosepipe restrictions in several counties.
In reply, the Taoiseach acknowledged precautionary measures like hosepipe bans given recent heat, warned of European heatwave consequences, and argued for better rainwater capture and conservation. He also noted resources allocated to improve Ischgairn, framing conservation as an obligation shared across government and citizens.
The debate raises questions about infrastructure timelines, the economic cost of interim measures, and the human impact of water shortages on schools and communities. Tóibín's intervention presses for a clear government commitment to resolve supply failures and accelerate repairs handled by Irish Water.
Local impact and immediate facts
Peadar Tóibín details the on-the-ground consequences: towns and villages in his county without proper water for weeks, a local school forced to close, and Uisce Éireann spending €250,000 a year to truck water to Bolivar. He highlights a 36% water leakage rate, fines of €20 million for missed targets, and an admission that gaps preventing new homes will not be filled until 2050.
Responsibility and accountability
Tóibín directly accuses the government of failing to maintain basic services and asks whether the Taoiseach will commit to fixing Uisce Éireann. The exchange foregrounds the role of Irish Water and the state in securing household supplies, even amid unusual weather patterns and hosepipe restrictions in several counties.
Taoiseach response and policy framing
In reply, the Taoiseach acknowledged precautionary measures like hosepipe bans given recent heat, warned of European heatwave consequences, and argued for better rainwater capture and conservation. He also noted resources allocated to improve Ischgairn, framing conservation as an obligation shared across government and citizens.
Consequences and next steps
The debate raises questions about infrastructure timelines, the economic cost of interim measures, and the human impact of water shortages on schools and communities. Tóibín's intervention presses for a clear government commitment to resolve supply failures and accelerate repairs handled by Irish Water.
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Transcript
Well yeah, Taoiseach, it rained for 77 days across Ireland so far, 77 days, and at the start of the year it actually had 54 consecutive days of rain. Now we've been blessed with a couple of weeks of fine weather, but already now we have a six week hosepipe ban in a number of different counties. There are actually towns and villages in my own county at the moment that haven't had a proper water supply for weeks. Ischgairn is spending €250,000 a year to tanker water to Bolivar, and the local school had to close as a result. Ischgairn are actually fined €20 million for not reaching their targets in terms of fixing the 36% of water that's leaking from the pipes. And they have admitted that it's going to take until 2050 to fill the gaps that are blocking the building of homes in this country. Now even in developing countries, it is the government's responsibility to keep water in the taps. Your government is failing in this. Will you commit to fixing Ischgairn? Thank you. Taoiseach? Well first of all, I think the hosepipe ban as well, I mean there are certain precautions the state should take and the Irish water should take, given the unprecedented heat that we've experienced this summer and in the last number of weeks. I think that would make sense, it could continue, and we've seen what has happened across Europe with horrific consequences for communities in Spain and elsewhere, and in France, and the excess deaths that have occurred on the European continent because of excessive heat. So we do need to be cautious in respect of water. That said, I do think we can do far more to conserve water when it is raining. All of us can, in terms of the amount of rain that is, I would argue, that has fallen and is falling, is increasing when it does fall, in terms of the volume. We need to capture that and conserve and preserve for the future. Deputy Malcolm Burke. That is our obligation. Deputy Malcolm Burke. We have worked very hard to improve Ischgairn and we've allocated huge resources to it now.