Uisce Éireann should deliver infrastructure 'as quickly as farmers' - TD
The "considerable work" that farmers are doing in improving water quality has been highlighted in the Dáil in relation to Uisce Éireann's infrastructure delivery.
According to the chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food, Aindrias Moynihan, farmers "have on-site inspections from the council and various different authorities".
"It is right that there are inspections so that if there is a problem, it can be quickly dealt with," the TD for Cork North West told the Dáil this week.
But he said the "same standards should be applied across the board".
"Uisce Éireann should be expected to deliver infrastructure as quickly as farmers are," Deputy Moynihan said.
Uisce Éireann
A number of TDs had criticised Uisce Éireann's "accountability and repair timelines" during a Dáil motion brought forward this week by the Independent Ireland leader, Michael Collins.
Deputy Collins highlighted during the Dáil debate that "raw sewage" was going into some rivers.
He said: "If a farmer was pouring sewage into clean rivers, there would be a national crisis and he would be put out of business within a few weeks so there are double standards here.
"I would like to know why the Enviromental Protection Agency (EPA) is aiding and abetting Uisce Éireann's shocking record by not going after it and making it accountable".
The leader of Aontú, Peadar Tóibín, also told the Dáil that sewage being deposited in rivers and in the sea in this country is "an absolute disgrace".
"If it were farmers, business people or any other sector of society the state would be down on them like a ton of bricks.
"There would be massive fines and real pressure put on those individuals to make sure they are cleaning the water before it gets into the rivers," Deputy Tóibín added.
But the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, said that "the process of establishing Uisce Éireann as a stand-alone public utility continues to be a work in progress".
"It is only at the end of this year that the link with local authorities will finally be broken.
"The motivation for a stand-alone utility stems from the inherent inefficiencies of a fragmented network operated by 31 local authorities.
"It has also been stated and acknowledged many times in the House that a legacy of underinvestment in our water infrastructure by the local authorities means that there are many challenges Uisce Eireann is now seeking to address," the minister said.
