While this discussion is going on, the people of Lismore in County Waterford are without water again today. This will be the seventh time in recent months that the entire town of Lismore has been without water. Outages are becoming more frequent. They last 24 hours or more in many cases. They are impacting local businesses, families and a care home. One of the largest secondary schools in County Waterford has been closed on several occasions because of water outages. These outages are also impacting childcare facilities. A delegation from Lismore has requested meetings with Uisce Éireann. Is the Minister willing to meet with a delegation of townspeople from Lismore to discuss this issue in the interests of ensuring that the town is prioritised. We have all this talk of water charges, excess use and wastage at a time when we have a system that is not fit for purpose, with Victorian pipes and a lack of capacity. Will the Minister meet with a representative delegation of people from Lismore to discuss this issue?

Sentiment score: 0.03

We had a discussion about this matter last night. I mentioned that there are 17 applicants on ice in Waterford at the moment. That is 17 families dealing with anxiety. It is also 17 landlords who are considering pulling out and going to the open market. This signal being sent from the Department is to dissuade applicants. Local authorities are not encouraging people to make applications, but rather the opposite. A clear message is being sent out to landlords to go to the open market and not to engage with the local authority on this. That is leading to an increase in the risk of homelessness. This needs to be addressed again.

Sentiment score: -0.01