Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support amendment No. 13. A 24-month review is much better and provides more time to evaluate the situation. I wish to speak in particular to amendments Nos. 15 and 17. I support the amendments for all the reasons Deputy Barry outlined. I remember that when the Oireachtas committee discussed the issues with the experts, workers in the Oireachtas asked members of Fianna Fáil what it meant and they said they were okay, that they would not have to worry about paying water charges because they had it under control, as such. This now means that families of three and four or higher will be considered to have excessive use once they go over 17% of the average use. To my mind that is charging by the back door and it is a very dangerous precedent. Fines should be retained, as was originally discussed at the committee.