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

I do not want to make light of this important issue. There has been much debate and many marches and disagreements on concerns about the privatisation of public water systems. Putting this issue to bed is part of the overall settling of the water issue. While the Fine Gael Party and the Government accept that there are also genuine issues which need to be teased out and finalised before we settle on a wording and commit to changing the Constitution in a way that is consistent with this wording, if we were to get this wrong, we would kick off a new series of problems linked with water. In this case, the issue would be ownership. I do not believe anyone intends to have such a scenario, not least the author and promoter of the legislation. It may well be the case that the wording is correct, but I want to ensure the legal advice available to me is consistent with what the Deputy heard from her senior counsel this morning. We should be able to do this relatively quickly.