Ar an gcéad dul síos, gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle, leis an Rialtas agus le gach éinne eile as an gcabhair a thug siad do dhaoine Chluain Meala cúpla seachtain ó shin when we had a very tragic time in Clonmel. I thank the whole community, the Clonmel school community, An Garda Síochána, all the agencies and all the people in the community and from around the country who rode in in the sense of the meitheal and supported those families. It was really deeply appreciated in the midst of our grief.
Clonmel town has a population of 19,000 and has a very large hinterland. It has fantastic industry. It is a town that is struggling with various issues but that has a strong community. It has a great business community that is doing its best in a very difficult economic climate. The Clonmel Business Network comprises more than 110 businesses - the small and medium businesses that are the backbone of the town's economy. However, the businesses of the town are at their wits' end. They are doing their best to trade despite the rising energy costs but are struggling to manage with an inadequate water supply. This not only affects businesses, but all of the householders, the hospital and anything else you could name as well.
As the Minister of State will know, I raised this matter with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, during the summer and wrote to him about it a number of times. The town has suffered from weekly water outages, boil water notices and low water pressure. It is simply not acceptable in a modern network in modern times. You would think we were in a Third World country. I was in Bosnia and Herzegovina to visit Medjugorje recently. It is a very impoverished place but it has the best of water and broadband at all times. It also has none of the spin we have around here.
These water issues are costing businesses and householders. It is costing businesses thousands in additional costs and lost revenue. There is also the cost of equipment that is destroyed when the water goes off without the business being made aware. They have been forced to close due to the lack of water. Walking up the street in Clonmel, it is daunting to see so many vacant buildings. Businesses that were there for generations are now closed due to lack of business. It is even more depressing over the summer months when businesses close with a sign on the door apologising to customers for closing without notice due to a lack of water. It is a shocking situation. It would be okay if it happened occasionally. People would put up with that but this is ongoing. I salute the hardworking county council workers who are doing their best to keep the water in the pipes. They do a great job and have done over the decades.
It is quite simply unacceptable in modern Ireland that businesses should have to close due to a lack of water not once, but on 40 days since April. There are businesses paying thousands of euro a year to Uisce Éireann for water. They are customers but are left without any supply. No business could operate that way. I do not know how Irish Water is let get away with that. In my business experience, the customer is always right. They are not receiving adequate service and need urgent intervention.
The level of communication from Uisce Éireann over the summer has been appalling and the public representative line is simply not fit for purpose. The public is at a loss to know how we could have had the wettest summer in recent times, yet still have no water in the pipes, the houses or the businesses. It just beggars belief. I have been requesting a meeting with Uisce Éireann management and a visit to the three water treatment plants in Clonmel but have not had that meeting. We had an Oireachtas engagement meeting last week with updates but, in reality, the updates were very poor. We are to wait ten years for a proper supply. Water is to be taken from the River Suir and treated. In the interim, Uisce Éireann is talking about giving us hard water from the Moyle Rovers supply, a bored well. This will destroy the equipment of the rest of the town's householders and businesses because it is full of lime. Uisce Éireann, or Irish Water, has refused to treat it at source. We have very big problems. We have no confidence in Irish Water and want immediate answers.
