Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

Perhaps the Deputy did not hear. We are writing it into the law of the land so it is a legal commitment. Every Parliament is sovereign so we have no control over what a future Parliament will do. As far as this Parliament and this Government is concerned, the utility will be a wholly-owned State utility. Most parties in the House and most Independents see it as the correct course. I do not see any push to have it privatised because the experience of privatised water in the UK is not good.

I am not enthusiastic about the general principle of selling State assets. We made a decision about what we are putting on the market. These are not strategic assets and will allow the leveraging of money to invest in new jobs. In Irish Water, we are creating the biggest new State utility since the ESB.

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