Let me emphasise this again: NI Water has confirmed to me that the water coming out of our taps is safe to drink and use. My home is impacted on by this. I use the water in my home and have young children, and I obviously do not want it to impact on my health. I accept that there is an unpleasant taste and smell for drinking-water purposes. Some people may wish to have bottled water or other water for that purpose. For all other purposes, the water is safe, and it is safe to drink as well.

As for which chemicals are used, I will follow up in writing to the Member. NI Water has a very robust regime in place to ensure that the water that comes out of our taps is safe to drink. I recently visited one of its water treatment processing plants and was impressed by the nature of the studious activity that was going on to ensure that we are supplied with clean drinking water daily.

The strong taste and odour that people are getting at the moment is not from a chemical but from a naturally occurring compound in the water. It is a timely reminder to us all, if we needed it, that we need to look after our natural resources. We need to look after Lough Neagh. We need to ensure that the action plan that was published by the AERA Minister is advanced and enacted and that we tackle not just the years but the decades of neglect of Lough Neagh. While algae continue to bloom on the lough, NI Water faces considerable challenges in producing clean drinking water for us, but it is producing clean drinking water for us.