Uisce Éireann is flailing aimlessly in the face of its own crippled infrastructure, which could lead to disastrous consequences, according to Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly, who sits on the Public Accounts Committee.
Deputy Farrelly said:
“I’ve written to all members of PAC to secure an agreement to invite Uisce Éireann to appear before the committee when it resumes sitting after the summer recess, in light of reports of ‘critical constraints’ within our water system.
“Housing delivery could be halted by a dearth of infrastructure within as little as three years if Uisce Éireann cannot get its act together – we cannot afford for the housing crisis to nosedive any further than it already has.
“Uisce Éireann’s troubles are found on all fronts – in terms of its finances, more than 400 of its staff earned over €100k last year, with bonuses surging past €13m, all the while 24 water restriction orders were imposed affecting 21,000 people, while another 95,000 were impacted by boil water notices.
“Government supports in the form of capital contributions of €572 million to this utility fully merit full scrutiny by the public spending watchdog.
“Despite these wages, Uisce Éireann have let out a cry for help that it’s in danger of losing its staff to the UK, who has committed to investing close to £100 billion in water networks – we’re spending vast swathes of cash without securing results.
“On another front, the Environmental Protection Agency has sounded the alarm that the water supply for almost 500,000 people is at risk of disruption, with treatment processes in need of attention and rejuvenation.
“Demand for drinking water in Dublin was so high last Monday that it exceeded anything the city’s supply was built to cope with, while in Kildare, water supplies that serve 81,000 people are in need of remedial works.
“It’s clear that expert advice is needed to rescue Uisce Éireann from its woes – PAC should be given the chance to analyse its shortcomings and investigate potential solutions that will ensure our housing and water supplies are not stunted by infrastructural issues.
“The Housing Committee has already heard that Uisce Éireann has ‘run out of road’ – it’s time this issue is taken into hand and treated with the urgency it requires to prevent future disasters.”
July 2nd, 2025