Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to clarify a point raised by Senator Coffey. I do not want to let it go. We think the €13 million will probably be accommodated through a reduction in the overall amount of money going back to the Exchequer. It is something that must be negotiated with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I would not like to give the impression that local services are being cut as a result of it. However, I do not want to give the impression either that there is no cost here as there is a big cost. If we decide not to have a revenue stream coming from water provision to domestic houses, there will be big consequences in terms of the flow of money in and out of government, never mind the other consequences that I am sure we will debate at length when the commission reports. This year is manageable because of the anticipated spend that is now not going ahead in the way that we thought it would at the start of the year. Next year it will become a much more difficult issue to manage, depending on the choices we make around water.