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RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Committee chair wants OTB passed by 'summer recess'
The chair of the Oireachtas committee which will examine the Government version of the Occupied Territories Bill has said he wants to see it passed into law "by the summer recess". Fianna Fáil TD John Lahart also said he wants to see services from what the bill describes as the occupied territories included, but said both issues are dependent on the views of all committee members and whether they receive the necessary information in time. Speaking with RTÉ News, the chair of the Oireachtas committee on foreign affairs said the cross-party group will receive the heads of the bill of the potential legislation once it is drawn up by the Department of Foreign Affairs and signed off on by the Cabinet. Asked if he believes this will give the committee enough time to examine the bill in a process known as pre-legislative scrutiny, and for the Dáil and Seanad to pass the bill by the Oireachtas summer recess which begins on 18 July, Mr Lahart said he believes it does. "I think it's very possible [for the bill to pass through the committee in June before being sent to the Dail and Seanad]. I have begun a series of conversations with the members of the committee and I think everybody's very keen and very anxious to expedite the bill as quickly as possible. "If we can process it, it depends on how quickly we can get the information we need, but put it this way - the foreign affairs committee and me as chair will ensure we will do our best to ensure the bill is processed as quickly as possible and hopefully before the summer recess. "I want to see it passed by the summer recess," he said. Asked about whether services from the occupied territories should also be included in the bill alongside goods - an issue which is continuing to cause political and legal division over whether doing so would leave the potential law open to a legal challenge - Mr Lahart said it should and said "I support the inclusion of services in the bill". "Clearly I'm at the mercy of the members of the committee. But, again, I think there's support for this. "My sense is they're [the members] all supportive of services being in the bill as well," he said. The foreign affairs committee is made up of nine TDs and five senators. Of the nine TDs, three are from Fianna Fáil, John Lahart, Seán Ó Fearghaíl, and Shay Brennan, two from Fine Gael, Brian Brennan and Noel McCarthy, two from Sinn Féin, Cathy Bennett, and Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, one from Labour, Duncan Smith, and one from Independent Ireland, Ken O Flynn. Of the five senators, two are from Fine Gael, Garret Ahearn and Joe O'Reilly, one from Fianna Fáil, Fiona O'Loughlin, one from the Social Democrats, Patricia Stephenson, and an independent senator Alice Mary Higgins.
The Journal
26-04-2025
- General
- The Journal
Uisce Éireann slammed for 'shifting deadlines' given to householders left without supply
HUNDREDS OF HOUSEHOLDS at a housing estate in Dublin were left without water over Easter after experiencing what one resident said was their seventh outage this year. Homeowners at Dargle Wood in the Dublin suburb of Knocklyon have experienced dozens of outages since May 2022, according to the resident, as locals believe a new apartment development has put a strain on supply. A water mains fault happened once again on the morning of Easter Sunday, and homes were left without any water until Tuesday evening despite initial alerts telling households that the outage would last no more than a few hours. The resident who spoke to The Journal said that she was repeatedly assured by Uisce Éireann, the state's water provider, that crews were working to address the issue despite her claims that no one arrived to site until Tuesday. A spokesperson for Uisce Éireann said that the estate in Knocklyon was impacted a a after a water mains pipe burst on Sunday morning and confirmed that a leak detection crew and repair team was not sent to the location until Tuesday. The estimated restoration time continued to be updated to a later and later date during the outage. Fianna Fáil TD John Lahart labelled the 'shifting deadlines' from the service as 'appalling'. Advertisement 'In both service delivery and public communication, Uisce Éireann has fallen far short,' Lahart said. 'The lack of transparency and responsiveness shown to affected residents and their representatives is deeply troubling.' 'I want accountability' Most residents had their water restored on Tuesday night but the homeowner we spoke to said because Uisce Éireann informed those at the estate that the outages would only last for a few hours, most households did not prepare for a prolonged period without water. Uisce Éireann did not provide a reason why no repair teams were sent until Tuesday or why customers were told that the issue was being actively resolved. A spokesperson said that some households were impacted by 'airlocks' – when air gets trapped in a high point of the system, preventing water flow- and that the service provider deployed plummers to those homes on Thursday. The householder we spoke to moved into her home in south-west Dublin in 2021 and she estimates her there has been dozens of water outages since 2022. Though estimated restoration times are usually very accurate and the longest period that families went without water was 24 hours, she said that continuous outages can be disruptive. A theory among some residents is that the water supply was impacted after the development of a new apartment block near a number of housing estates in the area. A spokesperson confirmed that there has been 'a number' of outages in the Knocklyon area this year due to old PVC pipes bursting, particularly in cold weather. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
