Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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I have a couple of follow-up questions, partly because the Minister did not answer either of the questions I put to him. On metering, my question was not on whether metering should happen. That is not a discussion for this meeting, which is on the Estimates. My specific question arises from my understanding that Irish Water does not consider that phase 1 of the metering programme will be completed by August or that phase 2 will start or be completed as early as it is. Given the nine month interregnum, there is a question as to whether the money which would have been spent on metering during the period could be better spent on other aspects of the capital programme as per the Estimates, irrespective of whether metering is reintroduced at a later stage. My specific question is whether those funds, which in the view of Irish Water will not be spent on metering in the current Estimates, could be better used now. The issue of metering will then be dealt with.

On the wastewater directive, I could have told the Minister the figure was €2 billion because he told me so two days ago in reply to a parliamentary question. What I am asking specifically is how much of the capital expenditure in the Estimates before us is specifically dealing with the upgrading of the system to deal with the request of the Commission. A simple way to put the question is to ask how much of the €2 billion from now to 2021 is in the current Estimates.

My supplementary question is on the capital expenditure allocated by the Department to Irish Water this year of €522 million. In response to a parliamentary question I asked earlier this week, the Minister referred to that aspect being funded through a mixture of debt and equity. Can that be explained in plain English? When most of us hear that €522 million of capital expenditure was given to Irish Water, we think that a lump of tax revenue has been given. Clearly, that is not the case in this instance. It is relevant to this year's Estimates and next year's. As such, I would like to understand in plain English how much of the €522 million is tax and how much is debt. What is the debt aspect, in plain English? How much is equity and what is equity, in plain English?