www.finegael.org

The current water crisis has exposed Ireland’s fragmented, inefficient and outdated water supply system.

A reliable and clean drinking water supply is a core requirement for any advanced country and its economy. Water is a valuable resource and disruptions to supplies can cause life to become very difficult for families and businesses alike. Those people still suffering today from water shortages and restrictions will know exactly how this feels. Fine Gael has the plan to change the entire method water is delivered to our homes and businesses.

Current Problems

Ireland’s 34 water authorities operate in near isolation from each other and small disruptions to some supplies can leave tens of thousands of homes and businesses without water for an unacceptable period of time.
In the context of climate change and the uncertain impact on weather patterns and water resources, it is vital that the country puts in place better incentive to manage water resources.
Even before the current water crisis we lost 43% of our treated water supplies through chronic leaks.
There is a considerable cost to providing and treating water which has gone from €225 million in 1998 to over €1 billion today. We cannot continue to see this investment wash away into the ground.

The current water crisis has served as a reminder of the ineffectual management of the Government over our precious natural resources. The Ministerial decisions of this Government have been reduced to a bookkeeping exercise as Ministers have been reduced to just signing off on funding or cuts. This Government has lost the ability to see a problem with their own structures let alone identify a solution. It is a symptom of a Government that has become tired and lazy in their term of office. Fine Gael can see the big problems affecting this country and will continue to put forward constructive and imaginative solutions to the problems created by 12 years of Fianna Fail mismanagement.

Fine Gael Plans

Fine Gael in its NewERA economic policy is first to propose that responsibility for water investment and services should be taken out of the hands of the 29 County Councils and five 5 City Councils which act as ‘water authorities’ and into a new State utility company called ‘Irish Water’.
Many of the problems associated with the current system, which is fragmented on a county by county basis, would be overcome by having one utility company responsible for water provision. In addition, one company can achieve significant economies of scale by planning for water investments across the country.
The establishment of a water utility company could have significant positive financial implications for the State as it would take on existing debt from the State and be responsible for future investment in water services.