Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As Deputy Ó Caoláin knows, the proposal the Government is considering involves a sizeable subsidy from the State in respect of the provision of water. Issues relating to the scale of the charge and how it will be structured are being considered by the Government. As stated earlier, we are examining this matter in the context of how metering will proceed in the fairest and most reasonable way and how we might ensure that the issue of ability to pay will be addressed. Of course, the Deputy is not interested in that because he is away living in some kind of fairy tale. The only matter about which we can be sure is that if Sinn Féin had its way, this country would not only have remained in the bailout into which it was plunged by the previous Government but it would also have entered a second such bailout. The latter would have enormous consequences for public expenditure, taxation and the delivery of services to the people.

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