Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleagues for sharing time with me. It was a rush to get back from another engagement, but because of this morning's shenanigans we will run out of time and I will not have the opportunity to speak later. I wanted an opportunity to put on record my grave reservations about the manner in which the Government is handling what it described as a monumental change in the delivery of an important utility to our citizens. Although after 14 years in government, some of our previous Ministers were criticised for being arrogant and out of touch, the arrogance of this Government and the extent to which it is out of touch with what the people are thinking is beyond belief. This morning on “Morning Ireland” the Minister, Deputy Kelly, said most of the changes would come about regardless of the protest, and that he did not believe in some of the proposals made before the protests.

Does the Government take the people of Ireland to be fools? Be under no illusion, the only reason there were monumental U-turns and changes was because the people of Ireland spoke, and did so in considerable numbers. The protests did not consist of the normal doom-and-gloom merchants and people who would be out protesting regardless of what banner was being lifted in the air. They comprised, for the main part, ordinary, decent, hardworking people who came to say they have had enough and can take no more. When the Government considered the U-turns and changing tack, it should have done things right. It should have abolished Irish Water, a conception of Fine Gael, supported by the Labour Party. It is an over-bloated quango which is bonus-driven, which was supported willingly by the backbenchers who voted for it.

It is amazing to hear Ministers say that they always felt there needed to be change. We did not hear a peep from Ministers, Ministers of State or Government backbenchers. I did not see any of my constituency colleagues standing in solidarity with the people of Mullingar or Athlone. I tabled parliamentary questions five weeks ago, prior to the protests, and in response the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, said PPS numbers were a necessity. Why are they no longer a necessity?

I welcome that people will pay less because they cannot pay any more. They are put to the pin of their collar. Ordinary, decent, hardworking people are paying high mortgages and child care rates, another issue the Government has ignored for three and a half years. What has it done? It has introduced a system which is totally inequitable and unfair. Do the three Government Members in the House think it is fair that someone like Mr. Tierney, the CEO of Irish Water who earns €200,000 per annum and received a large handshake from his previous employment, pays the exact same as someone in receipt of a non-contributory old age pension of €220 a week? Where is the fairness and equity there? There is none. Where is the Labour Party, a party which has always espoused that it would fight for fairness and equity?

On global warming and water being a scare resource, there is no incentive for people to conserve water. The concept, reason and rationale for introducing meters were to ensure water would be conserved. People will not conserve water, which is a major mistake. Irish Water is a brainchild of the Government. It has spent €180 million on its creation, €500 million on the installation of meters and countless more millions on other things. In return, we will get less than €100 million a year. The Government should abolish Irish Water, suspend the introduction of charges, fix the leaks, make sure everybody has proper, safe drinking water in their taps and re-examine the situation in a few years' time.

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