Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

-----how will the installation of water meters result in the decontamination or rehabilitation of the decrepit waterpipe infrastructure? Water meters do not have that effect. They have one effect only, that is, to allow the Government to charge for the provision of water.

Why is the Government going to waste a year and a half installing water meters instead of putting thousands of people to work on rehabilitating the water infrastructure?

I would like to correct the Tánaiste on privatisation. Article 106 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states that: "Services of a general economic interest, or having the character of a revenue producing monopoly [which is what the new semi-State will be] shall be subject to the rules contained in the treaties, in particular to the rules on competition." It is as clear as day.

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