Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed)
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-09
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Micheál Martin (FF), Cork South-Central

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. We have made a lot of progress in the country with regard to wastewater treatment facilities. I am of the view that it should be tertiary and not secondary where possible. I am not aware of the specifics of the actual proposal for the wastewater facility earmarked for Foynes. I will check with Uisce Éireann on this. It may not be a waste of money because I presume it can be designed and constructed with a view to adding. Let us not look a gift horse in the mouth on one level. We need more treatment plants, particularly if planning has been secured and so on. We just need to get infrastructure in place.
There may be funding issues. There may originally have been cost issues, although we have substantially increased the allocation to Uisce Éireann now and into the foreseeable future through the national development plan. I will ask.
The Deputy is absolutely correct that tertiary treatment is the optimal way to go to ensure quality of water, particularly where it is discharged into the river, which has implications for ecology, biodiversity and human health. We will respond to the Deputy's query. I will seek a response from Uisce Éireann on the specifics of the proposal.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-09