Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

I blame the Minister, Deputy Hogan, for applying the guillotine. We were misled by the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn. In fairness, the Taoiseach told Deputy Ó Cuív and me in the corridor yesterday that he would try to have the record corrected, as it was patently untrue that fines would be levied by 2 or 3 February. What we must do by that date is enter a defence to a charge that might appear before the courts in late summer or early autumn.

Had the Minister published standards, we would not accuse him of anything. There are standards for everything. When I took part in Pat Kenny's radio show, I told the Minister that my tank was built in 1984 and he replied that it would be judged on the 1984 standards. When I asked about houses built before 1963 when there were no planning standards, he replied that no standards would be applied now. This is patent and utter nonsense. There are standards for everything. I must abide by standards in the Chamber. I stray sometimes, but the Acting Chairman brings me back, which I appreciate. There are standards for buying a shirt, a pair of shoes and so on.

As Deputy Healy-Rae pointed out, households do not know what the costs will be. I cannot be honest with people in my constituency because I do not know what standards will be applied. The Minister claims there will be no standards, but that is not true. Groups such as An Taisce and rural preservationists will ensure standards, and rightly so. I agree with Deputy Healy-Rae, in that rural Ireland and clean water are valued the most by fishing clubs, ordinary farmers, hill walkers and communities, not by local governments, which are polluters.

Deputy Healy-Rae asked whether the Minister had lost touch with people or whether he knew that people had no money. I will remind him of one year or 15 months ago, when the Minister, then just a Deputy, stated that he could not afford to take a wage cut. Can he remember that? He was no worse paid than I was. Before the election, the Government promised people-----

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