Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I move amendment No. 7:

In page 18, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following:

"6.—Nothing in this Bill will enable local authorities or Water Service authorities and providers to charge domestic users for the provision of water supplies.".

We heard earlier from the Minister on the privatisation issue, when he told the House he is against the concept of privatising such a basic human necessity as a water service. I look forward to the Minister assuring the House that he is totally opposed to any prospect of charges applying to a major basic human right and necessity. I hope the Minister will provide such assurances. However, while assurances are one thing, the most effective way of ensuring there will be no service charges on water is to accept this amendment. This will put the issue beyond discussion in terms of legislation, which is what we want.

Currently, almost 50% of water escapes through various leaks in a cranky system. Very little has been done to try to check such a large loss, although I accept that some minor effort has been made to try to at least quantify more accurately the level of loss in our water service. That occurs at significant expense because it invariably happens between production point and the tap.

We are sometimes told householders are wasting water but they are not a patch on those primarily responsible for it, the local government as agent for the Minister and the Government. If this significant waste is checked, the attending cost savings will be notable.

The prospect of charges for water will represent an imposition of a double taxation system. We are used to double taxation but this one will not be accepted. In the late 1980s, there was a significant battle over the issue and many Members will remember those hard times. I have no doubt we will return to that battle whenever a Government tries to introduce water charges again.

For me, it will be a battle North and South as the British Government is trying to impose water charges in the North. That battle has been won temporarily but I do not doubt for one moment the issue will return. I hope a number of the Unionist parties will be on our side in that battle. Who knows, they may even come to join us here should a Government decide to introduce water charges on this side of the Border.

This water war could be interesting. The first major water war took place in Cochabamba in Bolivia in 2000, when thousands of people took to the streets in opposition to the imposition of charges. That case was so ridiculous that it got to a stage where the Bolivian Government would not allow people to dig a hole to retain rain water. That became an offence under the legislation, so even the rain was privatised. People would have been asking if fresh air was next.

In 2005, Uruguay changed its constitution by means of referendum, defining water as a human right and a public natural resource. Any prospect of ever privatising public water supplies for domestic use was banned. That is where we should be heading in this State. This House should have that assurance from the Government not just verbally from the Minister, but through the acceptance of this amendment. The inclusion of the amendment would ensure there will be no water charges.

Why should poor people, those on a very low income and already categorised as living in poverty, be hounded over this basic human right? Why should anybody, irrespective of income, have to pay for something so critical to human life itself? I hope the Minister will recognise this. I look forward to his reply.

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