'Outrageous' that Longford private group water schemes are being hit by cuts in funding

A Longford County Council member has slammed the decision by utility company, Uisce Eireann, to “curb funding” to private water schemes.
In a notice of motion, Cllr Garry Murtagh said the removal of capital funding to private water groups was “despicable and deliberate”.

Cllr Murtagh said the curbing of funding constricts the ability of private water groups to provide a service to its members, and will force them to be taken over by Uisce Eireann network.
The elected representative said this was the case with two private group water schemes in the north and south of county Longford.

He called on Longford County Council to write to the Minister for Housing Local Government & Heritage Darragh O'Brien, to voice concern about the issue.
Cllr Murtagh brought to the attention of the meeting correspondence from Uisce Eireann to a north Longford private water group in which the utility company said grants to upgrade the infrastructure would only be available if the group scheme was “taken in hand”.

“I am very disappointed in the agency,” he said, “this private group water scheme has been providing clean, fresh, well water for the last 50 years for over 50 members. This is absolutely outrageous.”
Cllr Murtagh said: “This is David and Goliath. It's Uisce Eireann taking advantage of a small group.”
He contrasted the situation to another in Ballinalee where the group were actively seeking to be taken in charge by Uisce Eireann, but the utility company would not do so because the number of houses in the scheme was below 25.

Councillors agreed with the proposal and a letter will be sent to the Minister.
In a later motion, Cllr Murtagh sought support to write to Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly, about what he saw as “a crisis in the health service”.

Focusing on the retention and support for nurses the Fine Gael elected representative said: “They should have access to the same health care support other front-line staff have available to them. A scheme similar to the St Paul's Garda medical aid society needs to be established, or the nurses should be included in that.”

He explained the reason for his call saying: “Many of our nurses, highly qualified and sought after nurses, are choosing to go abroad after qualification. Many are emigrating because of the enticements to work abroad. We need to address this with enticements of our own.

“If they get hurt in the course of their work they have no support, I want that changed. We need to raise this with the Minister.”
The motion was seconded by Cllr Paul Ross with the members all supporting it.