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17/06/2015
Irish Water And Minister For Environment Contradictory On Lead Pipes - FF
Irish Water officials have allegedly contradicted Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly over the number of homes potentially at risk of contamination from lead pipes.
Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Environment and Local Government, Barry Cowen, raised a special Dáil debate on the issue, following a meeting with senior officials at Irish Water.
"Just last week Minister Kelly announced a grant scheme to partially cover the costs of replacing dangerous lead plumbing in up to 200,000 homes across the country. This is despite the fact that his predecessor Minister Hogan indicated that the Irish Water 'first fix' scheme would cover the full costs of replacing dangerous lead piping. Nonetheless last week’s news offered some encouragement for concerned homeowners," Deputy Cowen said.
"However I recently met with senior officials at Irish Water, and what they told me contradicts the comments made by Minister Kelly when he outlined the details of the grant scheme.
"Senior officials at Irish Water have acknowledged that they do not know the number of homes containing lead pipes in Ireland. They have said that up to 400,000 homes could be affected, almost double the figure outlined by Minister Kelly. To make matters worse, they have stated that they do not know the average cost of replacing the affected pipes.
"The officials also pointed out that there was no correlation between the identification of lead pipes and the roll out of water meters across the country. This cast’s further doubt over Minister Kelly’s judgement considering he indicated that the roll out of water meters would allow Irish Water to identify all of the lead piping that needs replacing.
"These revelations bring into question the viability of the grant scheme announced by Minister Kelly. The Minister gave the distinct impression that he can get approval and money from cabinet to fund the grant scheme, but this is questionable considering Irish Water themselves do not know the full extent of the problem."
(MH/CD)
Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Environment and Local Government, Barry Cowen, raised a special Dáil debate on the issue, following a meeting with senior officials at Irish Water.
"Just last week Minister Kelly announced a grant scheme to partially cover the costs of replacing dangerous lead plumbing in up to 200,000 homes across the country. This is despite the fact that his predecessor Minister Hogan indicated that the Irish Water 'first fix' scheme would cover the full costs of replacing dangerous lead piping. Nonetheless last week’s news offered some encouragement for concerned homeowners," Deputy Cowen said.
"However I recently met with senior officials at Irish Water, and what they told me contradicts the comments made by Minister Kelly when he outlined the details of the grant scheme.
"Senior officials at Irish Water have acknowledged that they do not know the number of homes containing lead pipes in Ireland. They have said that up to 400,000 homes could be affected, almost double the figure outlined by Minister Kelly. To make matters worse, they have stated that they do not know the average cost of replacing the affected pipes.
"The officials also pointed out that there was no correlation between the identification of lead pipes and the roll out of water meters across the country. This cast’s further doubt over Minister Kelly’s judgement considering he indicated that the roll out of water meters would allow Irish Water to identify all of the lead piping that needs replacing.
"These revelations bring into question the viability of the grant scheme announced by Minister Kelly. The Minister gave the distinct impression that he can get approval and money from cabinet to fund the grant scheme, but this is questionable considering Irish Water themselves do not know the full extent of the problem."
(MH/CD)
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