Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-15
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Jennifer Whitmore (SD), Wicklow

A hosepipe ban will come into force in a number of counties on the east coast from tomorrow. I completely understand that because we are seeing record temperatures and are in the middle of dealing with the climate crisis and climate change. It is important that we conserve water, but can the Taoiseach understand the frustration of many people being told that they have to conserve water when it appears that there is very little governance or oversight of the amount of water used by data centres, particularly those in the Dublin area? Uisce Éireann cannot seem to provide proper figures for the amount of water that is being abstracted at the moment. It reckons that about 800 ML, 0.13% of the national average, is being abstracted. However, that is less than what Meta has recorded as abstracting for one of its own plants.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:08+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-15