Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

I had coffee. I will have tea the next time.

Workers involved in water services in my county and that of Deputy Mattie McGrath and others are top-class. There is no threat to anyone's employment. The new water service will not come into operation until 2017 at the earliest. The local authorities will work with Irish Water or Bord Uisce. It is expected that new entity will also have an Irish name as requested by a number of Members. Everyone will be consulted on the appropriate name.

We are seeking to ensure the supply of water in this country is the most efficient it can be, which is a large and expensive task. This will cost €600 million over the next number of years. We will ensure that every county and town has the volume of water it requires. The recent Environmental Protection Agency report identified a number of areas where waste water - about which we have not yet spoken - is a problem, in respect of which we are incurring significant costs.

The Government will ensure transparency in this process. There will be no charge, in terms of cost of water to home, until 2014 and a free allowance, to be decided by Government, will be provided. We will ensure that we have the best water infrastructure and that - I have a commitment on this - when the implementation programme is to hand, possibly six to eight weeks time, there will be a full and proper debate on this issue at the committee on the environment in an effort to satisfy, in as much as it is possible to satisfy, all arguments in an open and transparent manner. We will take on board any constructive views offered. This debate is the start of that process.

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