Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That may be so. I can guarantee the Minister of State that the process will not be completed in two or even four years. This Bill is nothing more than a Trojan horse for privatisation of our water services in the future. The Minister of State claims that is not the Government's intention, which I accept is true at this point. However, he will know that intentions and circumstances can change as opportunities arise.

Sinn Féin has actively campaigned against charges in the past and will redouble its efforts to ensure they are consigned to the dustbin of history. The Government can expect stiff opposition from across the country to the introduction of water charges.

We will stand with the people on this.

When the Bill was introduced in the Seanad two weeks ago, we were the only party to table amendments. We tabled 24 amendments ranging from outright rejection of certain sections to outlining our alternative solutions for improving the water quality system. It is worth noting that Fianna Fáil did not table amendments. Is there a meeting of minds between the three parties?

We fully understand the challenges that lie ahead for the water sector. The Government has used the crisis as an opportunity to promote a ripening agenda of charging people for something for which they already pay, as I have outlined. Our approach is different and is based on ensuring that water provision remains in public ownership and is paid for through fair and progressive taxation. Sinn Féin proposes investing money from the National Pensions Reserve Fund in creating real jobs with a positive legacy. The money that will be wasted on meters which will not save one drop of water should be invested in upgrading an ageing and leaking water distribution network. The €500 million referred to in the Bill would fund water conservation for six years and it would be far more appropriate to invest €500 million in water conservation rather than in metre installation.

Sinn Féin supports the introduction of district metering as opposed to domestic water meters in every household. This is already in place in local authority areas. It is cheaper and very effective. It operates in County Laois and on my road in Clonroosk View. The engineers tell me it works very well in several parts of the county. It is of great assistance to local authorities in identifying leaks and it is cheap. We call on the Government to abandon its ill-fated domestic water metering scheme and instead expand district metering. This would be far more cost effective and would ensure water leakage is detected quickly and efficiently and is stopped.

At present, the water sector is managed by the 34 local authorities. The move to Irish Water will not improve accountability in government. Local authorities, however imperfect they may be, are accountable to their communities. There are able to meet local demand and can provide solutions when emergencies arise. The Minister of State's county supplied County Down with water because it has a single water authority at one remove from the government in the Assembly and we have seen the problems this caused. Whatever difficulties existed in Louth, the problems in Down and Armagh were worse.

Following the establishment of Irish Water debates like this one today simply will not happen. The water sector will no longer be accountable to the elected representatives and the public they serve. One will no longer go to one's local councillor, Deputy or Minister to register a complaint or raise a concern; one will have to call a call centre on an 1890 number. The State water distribution network is antiquated. A decade of underinvestment means in some local authority areas more than half the water is lost through leaks, but it is not lost in households. The water leaks from the water distribution network. The State water distribution network is antiquated and one county is heading for 60% leakage. With average leakage at a staggering 41%, we understand there is a need for increased capital funding in the State water infrastructure. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government must return to at least 2011 levels of investment.

The Minister's proposals are focused on the domestic householder and there is no mention of the debt owed by the commercial sector where only 52% of commercial water rates are collected. It appears households are been penalised for the lack of building regulations, leaking pipes in the network and poor governance. Local authorities and the Government must take action on the outstanding water rates owed by the commercial sector to the State.

The crisis facing water supply does not start finish at the Border. Recognising that river basin management districts cover both sides of the Border, it is essential to have co-ordination of the water sector. We must develop an all Ireland strategy for water provision. There is a requirement on the Northern Assembly and the Government to collaborate on the delivery of services where shared resources, joint capital investment in infrastructure and procurement would clearly prove beneficial on an all-Ireland basis.

Sinn Féin calls for the establishment of a national water sector framework team overseeing governance of the water sector and capital investment. This would work with local authorities and comprise city and county managers and be convened by the Secretary General of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

The establishment of Irish Water is a Trojan horse for the installation of water meters and the imposition of charges and lays the foundations for the full privatisation of the water sector, which would be very easily done when water has become a commodity. In the drive to establish Irish Water, the Government continues to promote myths about water meters and water charges. The first of these myths is that the public gets water for free. This is untrue as people already pay through taxes. Another myth is that all other citizens in the EU pay water charges. This is simply not true, and I mentioned the situation in the North despite the best efforts of the British Government. The Government would also have us believe that water metering reduces consumption. We raised this with the Minister of State previously. In England, where water metering has been in place for many years, consumption is at 158 litres per head per day. The Dublin water supply report of 2008 showed consumption of 148 litres per day. This was at a time of very bad leakage in the system, which has improved massively since. All of the evidence points towards metering being simply a bad idea and being enforced by a Government hell-bent on making ordinary families pay for the current economic disasters in which we find ourselves. This is on top of the family home tax and many other charges. We have spoken many times about people hanging on the edge. Many people are on the point of falling over the edge. This is a serious imposition on people.

The Bill should be rejected. Does the Minister of State agree that the Bill should be poverty proved? Does the Minister of State agree the money allocated for meters would be better used to upgrade the leaking and crumbling system? The figure of €500 million has been mentioned but local authority professional staff reckon the amount will be €1.2 billion. Assuming the figure for metre installation is correct at €500 million, €500 million more will be required for upgrades and €500 million more on the Shannon Dublin project. This amounts to €1.5 billion.

I have set out for the Minister of State why the €500 million being spent on meters will not save water. Would it not be better to invest it in the crumbling water network to stop leakage and conserve water? This significant issue needs to be addressed. I am not saying this to have a shot at the Minister of State, I say it sincerely. We firmly believe this and we are passionate about it.

What effort is being made by the Government and the Department to get local authorities to collect the 48% of commercial water rates which are outstanding? In our house we pay commercial water rates and gladly so because it is the system which exists. My point is we cannot have a situation where almost half of the charges are not paid. It is lunacy. There is something seriously wrong. I understand businesses go out of business and changeovers occur and that businesses, particularly small businesses, are going through a very difficult time in every town, village and city, but 48% not being collected amounts to a huge amount of money. This is a major issue for us. Will the Minister of State address this issue with regard to the €500 million it is proposed will be spent on installing meters? I gave the water consumption figures for England where meters are in place and the figures for Dublin in 2008 before the leaks were fixed. Slightly less water was being used by people in Dublin.

In Dublin, Portlaoise, Mountmellick, Portarlington and Tullamore one third of households will be hard to reach.

These include gated developments and apartment blocks, in addition to houses that already have pipes running through their backyards or old lead pipes running behind terraced houses and through gardens. How does the Minister intend to get around that issue and deal with it? It is a serious matter.

The current cost of providing water services is estimated by the Department to be €700 million.

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