Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I am concerned about the impact inflation may have on the cost of water in the future. The price of water in Canada has increased by 58% since it made the move we are making. In Denmark, between 1993 and 2004 the price increased by 54%. Is there any guarantee that the same sort of thing will not happen here? I am fully in favour of the concept of charging for water. Anything which comes free of charge tends to be wasted and the danger of water being wasted is very high. The real danger, however, is that the Government will treat water charges as another form of taxation and will use them as a way to extract more money from businesses and members of the public.

Is there an understanding with regard to the costs that obtain in this area? Siemens offered to invest €800 million in a public private partnership relating to installing 1.8 million water meters in Irish homes. The Government turned down that offer and I do not understand why. Perhaps the Minister of State will indicate why it did so. He might also indicate how we can protect citizens from the impact of inflation on water charges, particularly as such an impact has been felt in the UK, the United States, Canada and Denmark. The figures relating to these countries are quite horrific. Those are my concerns and I would like the Minister of State to respond to them.