Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)

The announcement of a new water body came as no surprise. As a Deputy, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government communicated to me about a consultation period that would end on 24 February and would seek submissions from the public. I engaged with my constituents and received a number of submissions. Until recently, there has been a conversation with the public concerning the potential of a water charge.

This debate gives the House an opportunity to discuss water conservation and reinvestment in water infrastructure. It also gives us an opportunity to have a new maturity in Ireland about the connectivity between taxation and local services. As Deputy Kevin Humphreys correctly stated, this connectivity was broken in 1977. Since then, people have not seen any connectivity between the taxes they pay and the services they receive.

We need a level of vision. People will not accept it if we tell them they will pay for something that will not improve. There is a significant water pressure problem in my constituency. For two winters in a row, many areas in Dublin suffered water shortages due to freezing temperatures. There have been boil notices in places like Galway and Ennis. Everyone knows about the system's level of leakages.

As Deputy Kevin Humphreys stated, it is difficult to attract FDI to my city while this situation persists. How can people be convinced to spend a weekend break in Dublin at Christmas if they cannot be assured of getting water from taps? The local authority system has depended almost completely on the commercial sector and schools to pay water rates. This is not sustainable and I welcome the proposal of a more realistic model, which we will be able to discuss for two years.

I have always favoured water rates, but there is a natural nervousness among those who are not in a position to pay. We have a responsibility to them. Where they have high levels of domestic water usage, there must be a generous free allowance. There must also be a recognition of areas with poor water supplies and pressures. However, it would be crazy to stand over a system in which up to 44% of treated water is lost within the system.

Connectivity is important. With the best will in the world one can have all the advertisements and public information campaigns on water conservation one likes. Unfortunately, it will not be until water is metered that conservation is likely to occur.

I have never believed in flat taxation on anything, be it in the form of bin charges or water rates. I am delighted this has not been the suggestion in this instance and that there will be no upfront charge. I also welcome that Irish Water will be a publicly owned body.

We must tell people we have had difficulties with the water system and this new system is a unique opportunity to get past those difficulties and to make the water system dependable and quality-assured. People state they pay taxes for wasteful and inefficient services they do not trust. We need to show a vision and point to this as a fantastic opportunity. Although it stems from the memorandum of understanding, from a social democratic perspective in a mature society the imposition of a water charge is progressive because it is environmentally minded and is aimed at conserving water.

Connectivity between taxation and services is required. As I believe in the public provision of essential services, including water, I would support the imposition of a charge. If it ensures that we never have a water shortage again, that leaks are fixed and that areas of my constituency which have had diabolical water pressure for the last 100 years will finally get the water service they deserve, I will support it.

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