The Sinn Féin President has put a series of questions to the Taoiseach today on the boil water notice issued to 600,000 homes in the Greater Dublin Area.

Deputy McDonald said:

“The people affected by this boil water notice need answers. I have particular concern for families with small children, older people and those with illnesses for whom this is not simply an inconvenience but a matter of health.

“This is the single biggest boil water notice ever issued in this state and it is not yet clear exactly what happened. What we do know is that an EPA report on the same plant published in March of this year found serious operational failures that could have led to contamination.

“The report issued eight recommendations and stipulated that Irish Water should submit a report to the agency ‘within one month of the date of this audit report detailing how it has dealt with the issues of concern identified during this audit.’

“We need to know if the most recent incident is related or if it is a repetition of that which occurred in March. Did Irish Water respond to the EPA report and implement its recommendations? Crucially we need to know if the plant at Leixlip, and its private contract, is fit for purpose, reliable and has the ability to protect our water?

“It is not acceptable to keep families in the dark. They need answers. They need to know their water is safe.”