Uisce Éireann Infrastructure Delivery, Accountability and Repair Timelines: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-14
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Rory Hearne (SD), Dublin North-West

Yes, we are on water infrastructure and this relates directly to it. Why do we not invest sufficiently in our water infrastructure and why do we have these problems? It is not because Uisce Éireann is not doing all that it can because it is doing some work. It is not about needing to get developers in to do the work. The problem is we have a State that does not believe in public services and public utilities and is actually privatising them. I spoke to Irish Water as well and it is still doing public private partnerships and outsourcing the delivery and management of wastewater infrastructure to the private sector. This relates directly to the motion because it is a question on what type of public utilities and public infrastructure we are developing. I believe, and the evidence shows, that we are still not fully developing a public water and wastewater infrastructure that meets the needs of the economy and society. This connects back to a Government and to political parties that are still broadly neoliberal and centre right. They have an attitude towards public services that, while they will invest in them, they will not invest sufficiently to ensure people's needs are met. They still believe the market and private sector should be in there making profit where they can.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-14