Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

All politics is indeed local. Not a week goes by without me using the Oireachtas line to make inquiries on behalf of the constituents I represent in Kildare South. Increasingly, the responses from that line have become much more frustrating. I am not sure where we are going with this particular utility, who is in charge and where the funding will come from. That is the first response to constituents or to me when I ring. The issue of funding is what is thrown at them first when they seek answers.

I welcome the statements, but as colleagues in the House have outlined – and will continue to outline during this debate - our jobs as public representatives in dealing with these queries is getting much more difficult, and has become very frustrating. I put on the record that the staff I deal with on the ground could not be more helpful to me in the course of my work, but they too are getting more frustrated each day as they tell me they cannot help with simple investigations, and that they must be listed through the rep system before they can even deal with them.

An example of what is happening on the ground relates to a local town, Castledermot. Last year, over a bank holiday weekend there was a sewage leak in an estate. Although it was a beautiful weekend, parents could not let their children out to play as paths, roads and green areas were covered in raw sewage. The local staff informed me that their hands were tied, the estate was not in charge and I would have to wait until Tuesday of the following before something could be done. I previously raised in the Upper House the issue of the urgent need for an emergency number at weekends and the flexibility of staff to respond to an emergency. It is simply not good enough that this estate was effectively closed down on a bank holiday weekend.

I want to return to estates not being taken in charge. If there was an all-Ireland prize for pass the parcel, Uisce Éireann would be the clear winner, and also the defending champion.

In my home town of Athy, in one estate raw sewage has flowed into homes on a number of occasions, and unfortunately into a neighbouring estate as well. I began working with the residents, the council, the developer and Uisce Éireann.

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I was progressing it with the council and Uisce Éireann and a number of meetings took place onsite. A plan was progressing. How it would be funded was always mentioned. To my dismay, when I received my tenth update from the reps desk this week, I was hit with the old chestnut that this estate was not in charge and that there was no more that Uisce Eireann could do with it. I would love to know what happened to the plan I was told a month ago was progressing. This is something I am sure the residents will not be happy about and I fear having to go back to tell them about this.

I am also aware of at least four, if not five, estates in Kildare South where, on a weekly basis, private tankers are tankering water from inadequate or broken down sewerage systems. I wonder how much is this costing the State. Much of this tankering has now been in place for at least ten years. I would love to know the plans for these estates, including Allen Court, Timolin, Moone, Kilmead as well as one or two others.

I took a call yesterday from the residents of Ballymany Manor in Newbridge, County Kildare. I was informed that residents in this estate are living without running water for at least 12 hours per day, and always during daylight hours when the water is needed most. I contacted the reps desk this morning about the stories I heard yesterday. Young families with newborn babies were not able to wash them and young children returning from sports activities were not able to take a shower. The residents have been told their system needs a new motor, which they been told has been approved. They have also been told there is no date as to when this might happen.

We hear from the Government that it will invest in water and wastewater systems. Obviously, we in the Labour Party have stated before that we believe some of the Apple tax windfall needs to be used to bring these estates and systems back up to a proper working state. Having listened to previous speakers, it is true that the lack of investment will halt, and is halting, and affecting housing during the housing emergency we have. However, there is a huge problem in this State with Celtic tiger-built homes, in particular my county of Kildare, and those living with smells, dirty water and a lack of proper water. They deserve more than an acknowledgement and a nod. It is simply not good enough in this day and age that they are living in such conditions. I ask the Minister of State to come back me on the issues I raised and I look forward to listening to his response to them.

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