Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I move amendment No. 4:

In page 15, line 4, after "accordingly" to insert the following:

", but references to prescribed persons and cognate expressions shall refer only to householders involved in group water schemes and similar arrangements, and shall not refer to those engaged in commercial activity".

During all the debates on this Bill, I have expressed concern on behalf of the Labour Party about the possibility that this country's water services might be privatised. I outlined my fear that the Water Services Bill, as it was initially presented to the House, would have provided a framework for the privatisation of water supplies. I have to acknowledge that the Minister responded strongly on Committee Stage by stating that he did not intend to privatise water services. He agreed a number of amendments to the Bill which somewhat calmed my concerns about the possible privatisation of water supplies. I acknowledge that amendment No. 17 represents progress in so far as it appears to prohibit a local authority from handing over water infrastructure assets to a private company. However, that does not protect us sufficiently against situations in which water supplies are privatised on a de facto basis through the introduction of the design, build and operate formula. If, for example, the Terryland water treatment in Galway becomes a design, build and operate scheme, the operation of the plant will be in the hands of a private company for 20 or 25 years before being transferred back to the local authority. In all probability, further upgrades will be required at that stage and presumably we will be back on the roundabout.

In order to make absolutely sure this legislation will not be used to privatise the country's water services, amendment No. 4 provides that prescribed persons and cognate expressions refer only to householders and group water schemes and do not include commercial water companies. That would give us protection from the privatisation of water supplies.

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