Opposition to plan to pump water 170km from Tipperary to Dublin
Objections have been raised in Tipperary to co-operating with Uisce Éireann as the water utility company intends to pipe water from the county to Dublin at cost of €10 billion, according to a Nenagh based councillor.
Independent Cllr Seamus Morris told Tipperary County Council's chief executive, Sinéad Carr, in correspondence recently that he had concerns over the wording of a submission by the council to the review of the National Development Plan (NDP).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
a day ago
- Extra.ie
No harmony as Micheál and Simon express differing views on next budget
The Government appears split on spending plans ahead of Budget 2026. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said economic forecasts the Government received last weekend were 'sobering' – but Tánaiste Simon Harris told reporters he wanted an 'expansionary' Budget. A row between the two Government parties over the student contribution charge blew up over the weekend after Higher Education Minister James Lawless appeared to confirm the charge would revert to €3,000 this year once cost-of-living measures ended. This led Fine Gael to launch an attack on Minister Lawless and say they wanted to continue to reduce the cost of the student contribution charge over the lifetime of this Government. Speaking in Tokyo yesterday, Mr Martin moved to dampen expectations ahead of the October Budget. James Lawless. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos Mr Martin said he had received stark warnings about the state of Ireland's macroeconomic factors, including the potential impact of tariffs from the US. Mr Martin met with Mr Harris, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers about Budget 2026 and the National Development Plan over the weekend. He said: 'It was a sobering enough meeting to be frank in terms of the challenges that lie ahead, given the backdrop of [US] tariffs and uncertainty in trade.' Mr Martin added that another factor of concern related to 'warnings we have received' in relation to 'certain corporation tax revenues.' 'It's challenging, and expenditure has been rising very significantly in Ireland, and that has to be factored into the equation.' However, Mr Harris appeared to have a different approach. Simon Harris. Pic: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos Asked about Mr Martin's comments, the Tánaiste said: 'Our Budget in Ireland will be expansionary… will have an ability to do more, and we'll be doing more to actually to invest in our economy and our society, to reduce the cost of running the cafe, to reduce the cost of running the restaurant, to reduce the cost of education, because we know the security of our economy depends on investing in the ingenuity of our people.' Asked how he squared the political circle of global economic headwinds with an expansionary Budget, Mr Harris said they were not contradictory objectives. 'It's all about balance and context. We will continue to put money aside in the funds for the future of our country, both in the Nature and Climate Fund and in the Future Ireland fund.' He said the Government would run budget surpluses, adding: 'But we will also be working our way through our Programme for Government. I don't think that's a shock.' He said both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil had flagged economic headwinds during the general election, adding: 'We're not going to not try to help people where we can, but we're going to do it in a balanced way.' Jack Chambers. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos Mr Harris also played down a rift over the student contribution charges. He and Jack Chambers warned that the threat of US tariffs has brought uncertainty to the economy which would be taken into account in Budget negotiations. Controversy over future student contribution fees began last Sunday after Mr Lawless said fees would 'reset' to €3,000 – what they were three years ago. On Monday he said he currently does not have the funds to reduce fees but would 'fight' his case as part of budgetary negotiations. Asked if there was a rift in Cabinet, Mr Harris said 'certainly there is not'. He said fees would not go up in September as those fees are covered under Budget 2025. He said most families pay the fee in instalments, in September and the new year, so the second instalment of the upcoming academic year would come under Budget 2026. Minister of State Thomas Byrne said: 'I think we are at one on this.'
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
‘We're running out of road,' Uisce Éireann warns as Dublin's water system struggles to keep up with huge demand
Wastewater treatment works are meanwhile so stretched that the capacity to cater for new houses will be exhausted in just two or three years. The strains on the region's water and sewage systems were detailed for politicians at the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, where Uisce Éireann's asset strategy manager Angela Ryan warned: 'We're running out of road.' Ms Ryan told the committee that homes, businesses and services in the Dublin region used 643 million litres of water on Monday, but the supply was built to provide 620 million litres at most. She said the continued high demand was not sustainable without investment in new infrastructure. That meant getting the proposed Shannon-Dublin pipeline started, a project the committee heard would cost at least €4.6billion and take over four years to build if it got the final go-ahead. Until then, the supply situation would remain critical. We have a dependency on Ringsend Ms Ryan said there were similar constraints on the wastewater treatment side. 'We have a dependency on Ringsend [wastewater treatment plant]. We have upgraded it, but ultimately we have two to three years of growth left within it.' She said even that forecast depended on Uisce Éireann completing lots of small projects to try to ease pressure, such as by preventing groundwater infiltration in the system. 'We can get up to 2028/29, but that's where we run into difficulties,' she said. ADVERTISEMENT Fianna Fail's Seamus McGrath said: 'So we're never too far away from restrictions?' 'Agreed,' Ms Ryan replied. She added that money was being spent on these short-term works to prop up the system when it would be better spent on long-term solutions. The Greater Dublin Drainage Project – a new wastewater treatment plant and linked upgraded sewage network – was in planning and awaiting a decision, while a planning application would be submitted for the Shannon-Dublin pipeline by the end of this year. Both projects would have to await final approval from the Government, however, and Niall Gleeson, Uisce Éireann chief executive, said he was conscious that many agencies were seeking to get projects included in the National Development Plan, which is currently being reviewed. I can see them drifting to more attractive projects in the UK He said he was concerned about the impact of the uncertainty around future projects on the specialist contractors Uisce Éireann would need to build them. 'To me the biggest threat is the UK, which is investing £90 billion in water projects,' he said. 'If our supply chain doesn't see a guarantee of work, I can see them drifting to more attractive projects in the UK.' The condition of the water and sewage systems is of concern as the Government attempts to accelerate house building, with around 150,000 new homes hoped for in Dublin and the wider eastern region. The committee heard from ESB Networks that it too was facing difficulties meeting growing demand for electricity for new homes, expanding businesses, including the power-hungry data centre sector. Managing director Nicholas Tarrant said new homes needed enough power to run electric heat pumps and electric vehicles, which meant providing for double the capacity per unit compared to a house built a decade ago. He said that at the moment, north and west Dublin were key areas of concern, but a five-year funding plan had been submitted to the energy regulator late last year and it was hoped this would be approved soon to enable priority and urgent works to begin. Regional TDs and senators also spoke of their frustration at hold-ups in building homes due to lack of electricity and water infrastructure in smaller towns and villages. Several asked if developers could be allowed provide temporary wastewater treatment facilities so that construction could get under way. Mr Gleeson reminded the committee that this was allowed during the Celtic Tiger building boom and Uisce Éireann was still working its way through about 800 such facilities, trying to repair them and take them in charge. 'We have a lot of legacy issues from the last time developers were allow to put in developer provided infrastructure,' he said. He said the facilities were 'in various states of disrepair' and the job of fixing them was ultimately going to cost from €500m to €1bn. Uisce Éireann had submitted a five-year funding plan totalling €16.9bn for 2025-2029, comprising €10.3bn for capital investment and €6.6bn for day-to-day spending. That was to cater for a government target of 33,000 new homes per year, however, and since it was submitted, that target was increased to 50,000 annually. Uisce Éireann is seeking an additional €2bn to cover the extra expansion. ESB Networks meanwhile is looking for €13.4bn to cover the 2026-2030 period.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
Mary Regan: Coalition clash over student fees a glimpse of budget tensions that could simmer all summer
On Saturday afternoon, fresh from the Pride parade in Dublin city centre, the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure sat down for a meeting about Budget 2026 in October. The discussion was a 'stocktake' ahead of what will be a series of economic set-pieces coming down the tracks – the National Development Plan, which is to be published in the coming weeks, the Summer Economic Statement and a look at the general picture for the budget.
