Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is a total lack of transparency in respect of Irish Water, as is clear when one asks parliamentary questions. It is almost like teflon, as we used to say where there was an organisation between the Minister and Parliament. The problem is that we do not know where the money is being spent. We have every reason to be concerned about the extra administrative burden, a burden which the Minister says he is relieving, on the other side, by the abolition of town councils. Clear commitments were made and there was an expectation that the property tax paid would produce additional services. In fact, there were advertisements about cutting grass, parks maintenance and all sorts of other things. People are going to ask what they are getting in return and they will not see anything additional. The amount we are discussing, €600 million, broadly equates to the entire annual take from property tax. It is a very large amount of money. It completely undermines the argument the Minister makes about direct-----