Richard O'Donoghue demands accountability over Ishgairn delays
Richard O'Donoghue criticised delays and a lack of accountability over funding and infrastructure in Ishgairn and Limerick, highlighting capacity checks at Palace Henry and raw sewerage entering the Shannon. He said, as chairperson of the Budget and Oversight Committee, he will push for accountability for money spent and for building the necessary infrastructure.
Committee role
He said he is the chairperson of the Budget and Oversight Committee and believes the committee will have a big role to play in securing accountability for public spending on infrastructure.
Ishgairn and Palace Henry delays
He reported that a letter to Ishgairn has been outstanding in its third week and criticised what he described as an unnecessary two-week wait to check capacity in a tank or system at Palace Henry that he says is already known to exist.
Historic local funding shortfalls
He argued there was a lack of funding for local authorities "when they had it, under Fianna Fáil and Fianna Gael" and said those authorities could have delivered much of the infrastructure now required.
Sewerage, the Shannon and water treatment
He referred to "49 years of skeeting without a sewerage system" and warned of raw sewerage going into the Shannon, questioning plans to pipe and treat that water for Dublin. He said about 73% of what Ishgairn treats is water and the remainder is sewage because systems have been mixed.
Call for infrastructure and accountability
He called for the building of required infrastructure, accountability for the funds already invested, and value for money in decision-making.
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Thank you. I'm Minister Wiesat and the Housing Committee together. It's like deja vu. I'm delighted now to be the chairperson of the Budget and Oversight Committee, which I think will have a big role to play in getting accountability for the money that's been spent. In Limerick at the moment, in Palace Henry, I have a letter gone into Ishgairn, third week on, waiting for a letter back to say their capacity in Palace Henry. I know there's capacity there because nothing's been built there since the new plant went in, but they told me it's going to take another two weeks to check to see if there's capacity in a tank on a system that's there that we already know is there. Two weeks to heat a computer to check to see if there's capacity. That's where we're lacking accountability, Minister. I'm self-implied on my life. If I told somebody I'd to wait for two weeks or something for capacity on something that's at the click of a finger, we need accountability for Ishgairn. We need accountability for the funding that's been put into Ishgairn. But we also need accountability for the lack of funding that was put into the local authorities when they had it, under Fianna Fáil and Fianna Gael, when they were over it. They could have delivered a lot of the stuff that we need today for infrastructure. 49 years of skeeting without a sewerage system, and raw sewerage going into the Shannon, which now you want to pipe up here to Dublin to service the water needs. This is what we're looking at, raw sewerage going into the Shannon, and you want to go in and treat it and send it to Dublin for water needs. Rather than 73% of the Ishgairn are treating now is actually water. The rest of it is actually sewerage, because you've been both mixed. And again, I've been at this for six and seven years, trying to give it a bit of common sense and value for money, for infrastructure, but with the high-paid jobs that are making decisions, but that we're getting nothing in return. Let's build the infrastructure that we need. Let's get accountability for the money that's been invested in it. Thank you. Thank you.
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