Simon Harris
Wicklow · Fine Gael · Ireland
“There are more than 10,000 routes and thousands of buses involved and the number of students using the services is not a million miles away from 200,000. The current terms of the scheme are going to continue to apply for the 2026-27 school year.”
“I thank Deputy McDonald for raising what is genuinely an important issue. I do take the point that when we talk about this in the abstract or from a process point of view in here, that for people watching this is their real lived experience.”
“There number of children who have been supported by means of the school transport scheme, as Deputy Fitzmaurice knows and has alluded to, has grown significantly in recent years. Since 2018, the number increased from 120,000 in 2018 to more than 181,000 now. Included in that figure are 24,000 pupils with special educational needs.”
“I knew the Deputy would have to mention the GAA, especially with Galway and Limerick playing at the weekend. I wish everybody involved the best of luck. We are very committed to the school transport scheme. If the Deputy wants to see our commitment, he should look to our budget.”
“An ageing population, increasing healthcare needs, the transition to net zero and the need for continued investment in housing, energy and infrastructure will place a significant demand on public resources.”
“There is also a legitimacy to the point the Deputy made about how it is a legitimate form of transport for some people. We see this working in other European countries. We see it in our nearest neighbours. I do not want to get the regime wrong, but I think they have registration at the point of purchase that allows people to track this.”
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“We have very clear standards that are expected to be followed in relation to all mortgage holders, regardless of which bank or entity holds their mortgage. Any breaches of those standards should be pursued rigorously with the authorities. I am very happy to discuss that further with the Central Bank and pursue that example.”
“As I said at the outset, we must always remain vigilant in this area. I am putting the facts and the law on the record of the House in terms of the obligation on all regulated entities that should be consistent regardless of the entity. Of course if there are any examples - the Deputy has given me one - they should be pursued fully. While I am not getting involved in individual mortgages, I am very happy to discuss the broader issue and, indeed, any examples the Deputy wishes to give me with the Central Bank as well. The Deputy has asked what actions have been taken. We are seeing further enhancements in relation to the code coming into place next month. I am very sorry to hear about the very difficult case the Deputy has rightly highlighted this evening.”
“Under the revised code, recognising the role that switching can play in an effectively functioning mortgage market, mortgage lenders will be required to include within these notifications a personalised euro savings estimate alongside each alternative mortgage refinancing option presented. Lenders will also be required to provide a specific reminder to customers concerning mortgage refinancing options. The code of conduct on mortgage arrears requires regulated firms to have a transparent process in place for dealing with borrowers in, or at risk of, mortgage arrears.”
“It requires regulated firms to meet minimum standards of care towards their customers and to ensure regulated firms operate to protect their customers' best interests. A revised and enhanced version of this code will come into effect next month, which will include enhanced provisions in relation to mortgage providers. For example, mortgage providers are currently required to issue a notification to customers either annually to variable-rate mortgage holders or at the maturity of fixed rates. The notification sets out a summary of alternative mortgage products available from that provider.”
“The same protections apply to mortgage holders regardless of the regulated entity with which they are dealing, whether it is a bank, retail credit firm or credit servicing firm. If there is any deviation from that, I would welcome examples and would point out that there may be recourse to the likes of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman. All credit servicing firms are required to be authorised and supervised by the Central Bank of Ireland. They are subject to all relevant regulatory requirements and financial services legislation. These include the Central Bank of Ireland's consumer protection code and the code of conduct on mortgage arrears. The consumer protection code is the cornerstone of the Irish financial consumer protection framework.”
“I thank the Deputy for this important question. There is a wide range of measures in place to protect mortgage holders through the consumer protection framework, but it is an issue on which we must always remain vigilant. I am pleased to see that arrears over 90 days are now at their lowest levels since 2009, at 3.4% of all private dwelling house accounts. We all welcome that after the horrific period people went through after the financial crash in this country. We need to remain vigilant. We have a framework that requires all regulated entities to be transparent and fair in their dealings with borrowers. It ensures that borrowers are protected from the beginning to the end of the mortgage life cycle.”
“I have talked and the Governments I have been in – this Government and the last Government – have talked about using the taxation system to disincentivise the practice and to collect more revenue for the State where the practice was carried out. We have never suggested that there is not a role for private investment in relation to housing supply. That might be a point on which we differ but it is a point which the Housing Commission also recognises.”
“The policy every Minister for Finance undertakes is to review all taxation measures in the context of a budget. That is what we will do this year, as we do each year. We have already shown that we have a willingness to act and to take further policy measures to make sure the intervention was having more of the required effect. The Deputy calls them "vulture funds" because that is a loaded term. We need private investment in the housing market. That is not just my view; it is the view of the Housing Commission. We need people to come into this country and invest because we also need rental properties in this country. Houses are required for the rental market. As of the last census, there were 330,000 units in the private rental sector, of which 62% were outside Dublin. We need to make sure we also have a rental supply.”
“Of course, a Minister for Finance will say they will keep these issues under review because, as the Deputy knows, we review all of these measures each year in the annual budget. We moved from 10% to 15%. I think Deputy Doherty would have advocated for moving to a higher rate than the 10%. That was required and since we made that move, we have seen the positive impact, and we will continue to monitor this very closely. The broader issue in relation to housing, housing supply and this Government's commitment is something I will have to debate when I have more time on the clock.”
“Here is what we actually did. The Governments I have been part of, first, introduced a higher rate of stamp duty. Second, the Government I led when I was Taoiseach and wrote that letter increased that rate of stamp duty from 10% to 15%. Each year, as a result of taking those measures, the number of homes being acquired has fallen. It fell in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, and it is expected to fall in 2026. What I am now telling the House, based on CSO data, not my view of the world, is that we are now seeing these institutional buyers becoming net sellers of homes. They are now selling more homes in Ireland than they are buying. The policy effects, coupled with the planning guidelines, are having an impact.”
“The provisional data, therefore, indicate that the combination of the two measures is now having the desired effect, with the number of house acquisitions subject to the higher stamp duty rate falling each between 2022 and 2025, inclusive. It is also important to state something that is not stated, namely, that the Central Statistics Office, CSO, data now show that institutional buyers are also net sellers of homes. In 2024, they sold more houses than they bought. We will continue to monitor these trends to continue to ensure the trend is downward, as it has been for the past three years, and to ensure these measures are having the desired impact. I will keep this under review on an annual basis.”
“Complementing the higher stamp duty since 2021 are section 28 guidelines for planning authorities, which aim to prevent multiple units being sold to single buyers. Revenue has provided me with the following provisional data regarding the number of residential properties subject to the higher rate and the total approximate value of those homes. In 2021, 189 properties were subject to the higher rate, with a value of €47.9 million. In 2022, 454 properties were subject to the higher rate, with a total of €177.5 million. In 2023, 675 properties were subject to the higher rate, with a total value of €266.1 million. In 2024, that fell to 396 properties, with a value of €156 million. In 2025, that reduced to 293 properties, with a total value of around €88.3 million.”
“I thank the Deputy for the question. As he will be aware, the standard rates of stamp duty currently applying on the acquisition of residential property are 1% on values up to €1 million, 2% on values exceeding €1 million and 6% on any balance above €1.5 million. However, in May 2021, a higher stamp duty rate was introduced with the aim of disincentivising investment funds from buying up large numbers of completed houses, usually with the intention of placing them on the rental market. The rate that initially applied was 10% but this was subsequently increased to 15% in budget 2025. The higher stamp duty rate is charged on the acquisition of individual houses, where a person acquires at least ten such properties during any 12-month period.”
“The challenge will be when it is ready to be done in terms of what is dereliction and the consistent application of dereliction. When you move, as the Deputy knows, from a levy to a tax, it has to be applied formally. I am very open to having a conversation about how quickly it can be done but it will involve a lot of work on the part of the local authorities as well as Revenue. Revenue is good at collecting tax but we have to have absolute clarity on the maps, dereliction, what is a tax and how that is applied in Louth and Wicklow on a consistent basis.”
“The Deputy is right that the living cities initiative is just one tool. That is fair. The derelict sites tax will be another. It is my intention to update the Government in March on the policy direction in relation to that. We are working closely on it. There are meetings, at least weekly, between my Department, the Department of housing at official level. It is, as the Deputy knows, my intention to legislate for that tax in the next budget. We have not decided on the rate yet but it will be no lower than the current rate. There is an argument to be had around whether it should be higher but we will return to that. I accept this is a big body of work so I am not apportioning any kind of blame or responsibility. I think Revenue will be able to do this quite quickly.”
“In regard to some of the changes we have made around the over-the-shop criteria, 1915 was probably too restrictive and we are moving it to 1975. We are also providing the certainty that it will be in place until 2030 and, coupled with the five additional towns, I hope it will make a real difference. We will obviously all need to monitor this. I know the Deputy's county is the only one that has two towns in the scheme, Drogheda and Dundalk. I have been in Drogheda and I know the challenge of dereliction. I think this will make a big difference.”
“I agree and I want to pick up on that point around the local authorities. Although I am quick enough to criticise various local authorities on various occasions, I want to acknowledge the speed at which Louth County Council and the councils for the other three areas moved. That shows, as Deputy Nash said, the scourge that dereliction and vacancy are, and in a housing emergency. We are all aligned on the need for this and I am pleased that we should be in a position to designate the special regeneration areas by the end of March and get these schemes open for applications, I hope, by June. That point about the low uptake of the existing scheme is fair. Some of it is related to publicising the scheme and getting the word out there. I will certainly reflect on how we can do more of that with the local authorities.”
“I acknowledge the speed at which the local authorities moved, which is really important. An independent review of the draft maps will now be undertaken to ensure the maps' consistency with the criteria for the special regeneration area. My officials are currently working on appointing an expert for that review. Upon the satisfactory conclusion of that review, it will fall to me to designate the special regeneration areas by an order. I anticipate that the areas will be designated by the end of March. It will then be a matter for the local authorities to implement the scheme. My expectation, based on engagement, is that all of the new special regeneration areas will be open by June at the latest. I look forward to keeping the Deputy up to date on that.”
“Also, if work is carried out by an enterprise, the maximum relief available will be increased from €200,000 to €300,000. It was also announced, to get to the nub of the Deputy’s question, that the scheme would be extended to five regional centres, as set out in the national planning framework, namely, Athlone, Drogheda, Dundalk, Letterkenny and Sligo. The cities and towns in which the special regeneration areas may be located are not specified in primary legislation. Instead, the existing areas were designated following consultation with the relevant city councils and an independent review by a third-party adviser. We are repeating that process for the new areas. I am pleased to say my Department has very recently received the draft special regeneration area maps for each of the five towns from the relevant local authorities.”
“I thank Deputy Nash for raising this issue, which he has raised on a number of occasions. As the Deputy and the House are aware, the living city initiative is a targeted measure aimed at specific areas in need of regeneration. It offers either income or corporation tax relief for qualifying expenditure incurred in the refurbishment and conversion of qualifying residential and commercial buildings located in what we call special regeneration areas, currently in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick and Waterford. Budget 2026 announced a number of enhancements to the living city initiative to strengthen the scheme, including extending it to the end of 2030 and that it will be available to residential properties built before 1975 instead of 1915.”
“I do agree and I thank the Deputy for raising it. I will certainly undertake to engage with the Minister for housing, primarily, and the Minister for Health on this and revert to the Deputy directly. While I am on my feet, I also want to say the Deputy raised an issue with me before in the House in relation to victims and survivors of domestic abuse, when they are moving from one local authority list to another, and the time they were on the previous list not being recognised. It is an important issue. I acknowledge and thank the Deputy for raising it. On foot of that, the Minister for housing has said he will issue a direction to all local authorities to make sure that issue is rectified. I want to acknowledge that while it came to my mind.”
“There are critical safety deficiencies on the existing N20 route, so this is also about saving lives and preventing serious accidents on a road that currently poses significant risks. I am absolutely committed to working with the Deputy to deliver this project through the proper planning processes. I look forward to continuing to work with him and all public representatives to see it progress.”
“I thank Deputy O'Shea for raising this important matter but also for his continued focus on infrastructure development in Cork. I agree that the N/M20 Cork-Limerick project does represent one of the most strategically important infrastructure investments we can make for the southern region. When completed, this project will really transform connectivity between Ireland's second and third largest cities, Cork and Limerick, and will deliver better links not just for these cities but for all the communities including many the Deputy represents across the corridor, including Buttevant, Croom, Charleville, Mallow and Blarney. This investment will also improve connections to west Cork and Kerry and will help support balanced regional growth and ensure communities outside the major urban centres can fully participate in our economic success.”
“I certainly will. I acknowledge the huge sense of loss and tragedy the Deputy's community is experiencing now. I thank him for telling me about the Hear Me Out youth mental health and counselling service. It sounds like it has made a really positive impact in his community. On foot of the Deputy raising it here today, I will raise it with the chief executive of the HSE and with the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, in relation to where the service's application for funding certainty is at. I will ask that the Minister of State comes back to the Deputy directly.”
“The question was always whether the reform would ever happen. Years later, truthfully, it still has not. I need to engage with colleagues to see where that is at. Any reform of the Seanad would require a cross-party view as to how to take it forward. The Manning report did do some interesting work but I will speak to the Minister for housing and local government in the first instance.”
“I thank the Deputy. I know St. Joseph's well. It is a school I have frequently visited. I was out there relatively recently with the school principal, Bernadette, and others for the opening of their extension. Any time I have been there, including during the general election, I always find the students give me a good grilling and are very engaging. I thank the Deputy for raising with me the output of some of his engagement with them. On the issue of Seanad reform, the Seanad referendum was one of those ones that we clearly got wrong. The people of Ireland said they wanted to keep a second Chamber and they wanted a bicameral system. They were right, as the people of Ireland always are. They are sovereign in these decisions. What everyone did say during the referendum, though, was that we want to keep the Seanad but we want to reform it.”
“I thank Deputy Cullinane for raising this issue. Yesterday was World Cancer Day and it is really important topic. I fully accept his bona fides in this. We all want to see real progress on this. We have made significant progress as a country but there is certainly no room for complacency. The Deputy and the Irish Cancer Society are right to highlight the areas in which we have to challenge ourselves to do better. I know the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is fully committed to this. I will certainly take the Deputy's challenge in engaging with the HSE, the Minister and the whole of Government to see what more we can do. I am also due to meet with the Irish Cancer Society shortly for further engagement on this.”
“I thank Deputy Brabazon for raising the need for clarity for these pensioners, which I know he has raised previously in this House. I will speak with the Ministers, Deputies Chambers and O'Brien, and get the latest update.”
“I know that Deputy Ó Snodaigh has been a supporter of this initiative for quite some time. There will be a new development in relation to this. I am reluctant to say it will be at Cabinet next week. That is what my memory tells me, but it is certainly imminent. The Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, will be bring proposals on it to Cabinet this month. It could be as soon as next week but certainly this month. I will ask the Minister to update the Deputy directly on the details.”
“I thank Deputy Carrigy for raising this important issue. He is right that people in Longford are currently being told that the pathway to access a consultant ophthalmologist is the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin. I think that is the primary referral centre. It is a long way from Longford to that hospital in Dublin, particularly for someone with an ophthalmology condition. Currently there is no consultant ophthalmologist based at the Regional Hospital Mullingar. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is engaging with the HSE to see whether recruitment of a consultant ophthalmologist based in the Regional Hospital Mullingar is viable. It is something that she and I are eager to progress. Once the Minister hears back from the HSE, she will engage with the Deputy. I will also keep in touch with him on it.”
“The Deputy's broad point is right. Without being flippant, when it comes to capital planning we have to start somewhere. It was important to get the first tranche out there and moving because a lot of other schools are wondering what it means for them. The Minister for education is conscious of that, as am I along with the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Chambers. In the period ahead, we will be looking at what other schools not on the list have an ability to move forward. The Deputy has been in this House long enough to know that when it comes to capital, there is often a churn and opportunities to add more schools. I will speak to the Minister, Deputy Naughton, on the specific projects - St. Aidan's, the Gaelscoil and the four-school development on the Swords Road - and ask her to come back directly to the Deputy on them.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this. He is right. In areas like his constituency in west Cork - Clonakilty, Skibbereen and Bandon - we have seen a number of flood relief schemes that have really helped. I know the people of Bantry are waiting and we are very eager to work with them on that. The point I am trying to make, and to be fair to the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, the point he is loudly making in Government and we agree with him, is that there is a need to look at what can be done in the interim and in the here and now. He has also identified the issue of river cleaning, as well as the issue of small trees in rivers and under bridges over rivers impeding the flow. The Deputy can expect the Minister of State to want to engage with Cork County Council in relation to this issue.”
“I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for raising the need for more affordable homes and the concerns of Saoirse and Darren so that it is an option for them to purchase their own home which is something they want to do. We have included in the new housing plan that local authorities not only must have commitments to social housing and social housing action plans for their own county but must also now have affordable housing plans as well. I do not have the specifics in respect of Cherrywood with me but I will ask the Minister, Deputy Browne, to consider the issues the Deputy raised and revert to him directly.”
“I have long made the point that we need to see a Cork city task force. When I was Taoiseach we set one up for Dublin and we are seeing the benefits of that. I think Cork should follow that lead. It is also a commitment in the programme for Government. I have raised it with the Lord Mayor of Cork and the Cork city chief executive. I am due to visit shortly. I will get the Deputy a specific update on the events centre in advance of his gathering, I hope. In fairness to the Taoiseach, I know he takes this issue very seriously. There was a requirement on the basis of legal advice to undertake certain actions but the Government remains committed to the Cork events centre. The Government remains very committed to Cork. I assure the Deputy that the Taoiseach remains very committed to Cork too.”
“The Deputy mentioned the "bridge to nowhere". I remember Sarah Palin using that phrase. When Barack Obama rang Sarah Palin when she was chosen as a vice presidential candidate, he wished her luck but not too much. I wish the Deputy good luck with his party's conference this weekend in Cork. I would push back on the idea that we have not invested in Cork. There has been €400 million in URDF funding for Cork alone.”
“Revenue would make the point that it has engaged extensively, set out criteria and so on but I would welcome further engagement.”
“I thank Deputy Bacik for raising this. Of course I am aware of it. I would appreciate further engagement with her on it. It will probably require longer engagement than we have here today. As she said, it arises from the Supreme Court judgment of October 2023 in the case of Revenue Commissioners v. Karshan (Midlands) t/a Domino’s Pizza Limited. There has been a period of time since then. It goes without saying that Revenue is independent of me, as it should be, in relation to how it applies tax law in Ireland. Obviously, it cannot ignore the Supreme Court judgment and I cannot interfere with its application of the judgment. However, I have heard directly from some of the sectors that have expressed concern about this. To be truthful, the immediate solution does not seem apparent but I am happy to have engagement on this.”
“The Minister is continuing to monitor the operation and performance of the service in line with the terms of the existing PSO contract. However, on foot of the Deputy mentioning this I will ask the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, to come back to him directly.”
“I thank Deputy Doherty for raising this issue. I am acutely aware of the deep concern felt by people who live in Donegal and particularly, as the Deputy rightly pointed out, patients and their families who depend on this air service to access specialist medical care, including cancer treatment. He has given us a sense of the depth of feeling with so many people having signed a petition in such a short time. I am clear that the route is not about convenience. It is about trying to manage illness with dignity and reducing the physical and emotional strain of the long journeys. I have briefly engaged with the Minister for Transport on this issue. I know it is currently operated on a PSO contract funded by the Exchequer which provides two daily return services.”
“Of that I have absolutely no doubt, knowing the Deputy well. Please do because this is what we need to do. We have to invest in housing but also in communities like hers. My own is not that dissimilar, where there is an increased volume of development and a growing young population. We need to make sure that we put that social and educational infrastructure in place as well. I get the acuity of this and the pressure that schools and parents are under too. Tranche 1 of the capital plan last week was a really important step. We have got to start somewhere. It gets a lot of school projects moving but I also know other schools are saying, "Hang on, we want to move too". My message to them is that we will keep working with them and constructively engaging, and there will be more projects moved in the time ahead.”
“This allows for detailed design and planning, obtaining necessary statutory permissions and preparation of tender documents. The Department is currently awaiting the submission of the stage 2B report, which the Deputy tells me is imminent and which CEIST has advised it is currently finalising. I will work with the Deputy, as will the Minister for education, on both of these projects. She mentioned a third one to me the other day, Rush National School, which a revised planning application is now required for. The Minister will sit down with the Deputy on these shortly but I want people to know - people in her constituency and more broadly - that the educational capital plan is tranche 1. We have plenty more to come in the time ahead and we will work to progress St. Joseph's Secondary School, Gaelscoil Ros Eo and Skerries Community College.”
“It will facilitate the delivery of additional accommodation in respect of four special classes, four general classrooms, a multimedia room and ancillary accommodation. St. Joseph's Secondary School and Gaelscoil Ros Eo is a shared education campus project in Rush. I understand that the project has been devolved to Catholic Education, an Irish Schools Trust, CEIST, the patron body. The brief for the secondary school includes the provision of a 1,000-pupil post-primary school building, four special classes and other ancillary accommodation. The brief for Gaelscoil Ros Eo will be the delivery of a 16-classroom primary school with one special education base and other ancillary accommodation. This project is currently at stage 2B post the planning and architectural design processes.”
“There were significant technical challenges in the delivery of the project on the current site and given the complexity of the challenges on the site, the Department is engaging with the ETB as patron of Skerries Community College to advance the provision of the required accommodation at the school, including, very importantly, the issue the Deputy mentioned regarding the facilitation of special educational classes. I am advised that the ETB has received agreement to progress a project for Skerries Community College under the Department's modular accommodation framework. This will address the immediate - it is only the immediate, I know - accommodation requirements for the school community.”
“There is lots of capital to spend in this country, thankfully, and we will deploy that capital as projects occur and get ready. Over the course of 2026 and 2027, there will actually be construction work at approximately 10% of the overall school estate. I say that to give people some context. On the specific projects the Deputy mentioned, the first related to Skerries Community College. I understand the building project for this school has been devolved for delivery to the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board, ETB, under a service level agreement.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue with me in relation to Skerries and Rush. It is not the first time she has raised it with me and I acknowledge that she represents and is from a community that is in the fastest growing area of the country with one of the youngest populations. She makes this point as we make progress on housing, and I am pleased to see we are making progress on housing. There has been a 20% increase in the number of homes built last year compared to the previous year. We have to make sure the infrastructure goes with it and we will never regret investing in education. That is why the Minister for education, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, last week published her Department's €7.55 billion national development plan, NDP, sectoral investment plan. I want people to know that this is just the first tranche.”
“I expect progress on that by the end of this month and we are engaging closely on that. In relation to Adrigole, which the Deputy referenced, I am told that a case for mains rehabilitation works is currently under consideration by Uisce Éireann. I ask that it would assess that quickly because I know this is causing a significant challenge for the Deputy's constituents as well. Ultimately, CEOs of all semi-State agencies need to be judged on the basis of their performance. We have resourced Uisce Éireann. It has a good leadership team, we have resourced it well and now it needs to get on with the job.”
“The only reason I am smiling is I thought it was a very good way of sticking in the name of the Deputy's by-election candidate. We will select our by-election candidate on 22 February for Galway West. The point the Deputy made is a very serious one. I take his support for the developer-led infrastructure. It is important. It is particularly important in rural communities where even forgetting developers, local authorities and public representatives say to us they could deliver 15 homes here or 20 or 30 homes there. If that is added up across the country, it is quite a lot of homes but we need to have the ability to put in the water infrastructure. Yes, this was done badly in the past but that is not a reason to not go back and do it properly this time. We did not have an Irish Water in the past to oversee it but we do now.”
“We had a frank conversation with Irish Water and I do not mind sharing it here. We have significantly increased the amount of taxpayer funding to that organisation. In return, we want to see developer-led infrastructure where relatively small-scale developers can deliver the infrastructure to an Irish Water standard, but they can deliver it. We also want to see an improvement in connection rates and a direct correlation between the extra investment we are giving to Uisce Éireann and the delivery of housing supply. I take the Deputy's point about engagement and accountability and I will be back to him on it.”
“To be balanced in our comments, I want to point to some significant successes we have seen since the establishment of Uisce Éireann. For the first time we have a single public water utility organisation. We have seen the investment in infrastructure grow from just €300 million in 2014 to €1.4 billion as part of the budget that we agreed in this House last year. We have also seen significant improvement in the provision of water services in many areas. Hundreds of water and wastewater treatment plants have been upgraded. Thousands of kilometres of new or rehabilitated water mains have been installed. The national leakage rate is still too high but has been reduced, and, overall, the quality of drinking water does remain very high as well. One of the things I am most eager about is the developer-led infrastructure delivery.”
“It is subject to an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. It is subject to the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies. It is accountable to Oireachtas committees, including the public accounts committee, which is always a body that focuses the mind. The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities is responsible for the independent economic regulation of Uisce Éireann and that ensures that it operates efficiently as well. The Minister, Deputy Browne, has emphasised the importance of better and improved communication with elected representatives and with communities. He made that point when he met Uisce Éireann. He received assurances that it will be back to them with proposals on that. We want to see them urgently because this is an important issue in many communities right across our country.”