Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

Paragraphs 14 and 15 deal with taxation. From the outset the Minister has not mentioned this as a taxation initiative. It is a conservation measure. We are trying to stop wasting our resources. We are wasting them, both natural and financial, and we need to address that, which is what we are trying to do.

Three amendments have been offered by Members of the United Left Alliance. They are operational clauses, which is to be welcomed. The first one is quite dangerous. One cannot stand for election in a democracy, come to the House to debate a Bill, issue or motion, lose the debate and then go back to the people and call on them to break the law. One cannot have it both ways. This is democracy. It is not protest and it is not peaceful. It should not be encouraged nor should it be welcomed in this Chamber.

The second paragraph of the amendments refers to calling on the trade union movement to actively resist any moves towards the implementation of a water tax but all that is happening here is that the proposers are exposing their vested interests. In the third paragraph there is a demand for a substantial scheme involving a major programme of retrofitting homes with water conservation devices and technology which could save billions of litres of treated drinking water each year. That is an excellent idea. It is something we must do. However, there is no indication of how we are going to do it. The answers lie in the Government amendment.

There is a genuine need to do something. One can forget one's ideologies and leave them at the door. People need access to clean, drinking water every time they turn on the tap. We have big problems in Dublin, as Deputy Humphreys has alluded to, and the Government needs to address that. We do that in our amendment. That is the type of approach the Government is taking. I accept we need time to discuss the matter but I would appreciate more substance in the motion put before the House.

See this speech in context