I want to agree with Deputy Mac Lochlainn. We all have very similar problems with Uisce Éireann. We are on the front line of dealing with these issues. Communities come to us because they have no way themselves of getting through to Uisce Éireann. They expect that their democratically elected public representatives can get fast information for them. Through no fault of our own – because we try – we cannot. Deputy Mac Lochlainn is right. We send the emails, we get a reply and very often the reply is inadequate but it can take days to come. I want to raise serious concerns regarding the continued failure of Uisce Éireann to address wastewater infrastructure deficits in small coastal rural communities, specifically the village of Bunmahon in County Waterford. Bunmahon is a growing coastal village, a vital local amenity and an important tourist destination yet its wastewater system is wholly inadequate. During winter months, the network regularly surcharges creating pollution risks, threatening public health and damaging the local environment. This is not a new issue. It is long standing, well documented and has been repeatedly raised by Councillor Catherine Burke, a Sinn Féin councillor, but also by Waterford City and County Council itself in email correspondence and letters to Uisce Éireann. Despite this, Bunmahon is again being excluded from Uisce Éireann's small towns and villages growth programme. That decision is deeply disappointing and unacceptable. The council has supplied extensive evidence to Uisce Éireann but gaps in monitoring – which, again, is no fault of the people who live in the village - and a lack of proactive assessment appear to be preventing Bunmahon from being fairly considered for investment. The reality is this: communities like Bunmahon are being held back not because there is no need but because there is no action. When there are deficits in water infrastructure, homes cannot be built, businesses cannot expand and environmental protections are compromised due to what is chronic under investment. I am asking the Minister to examine this issue and, if he can, to come back to me in writing because I have to say any of the responses I have got from Uisce Éireann, as scant as they are, have been wholly inadequate.

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