Water Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-14
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Michael Cahill (FF), Kerry

With delayed payments, interest should be applied to overdue accounts paid to contractors similar to local authorities, utilities and other bodies that have this payment system. Why not Uisce Éireann? Why should it be allowed to get off scot-free especially with the manner in which it is blackguarding contractors and subcontractors?
It does not pay to provide a 24-7 call-out service without payment. That is an obvious fact. A simple solution would be to put contractors on a monthly drawdown system. That would cut out red tape and delays.
I will throw a spanner in the works. A few months ago, a friend of mine approached me about a quote they received for a 60 m extension to a water main to a single house. They were quoted €450 per metre. That comes to €27,000. Think of a 100 m sprint by Usain Bolt and then 60 m of that 100 m. People are flabbergasted by these quotations. People are expected to pay that while contractors are not being paid by Irish Water. They are waiting four months. Uisce Éireann is well able to charge people, but when it comes to payments it is a totally different story. Contractors and subcontractors are being put through hell and put under enormous financial pressure. This must be addressed and the sooner the better.
I will raise this again and I will put down a vote of no confidence in Uisce Éireann if there is no progress on this matter.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:08+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-14