Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Nobody denies that. If the Government invests in plugging those leaks, money will be saved in the long run. It is preferable to investing in meters. Meters are a distraction; it is moving public resources in the wrong direction. I urge the Minister not to proceed with metering but instead to divert that money immediately into major projects to ensure that in the future we will have a proper public water system that will have an across-the-board standard and pressure.

Otherwise, one can see from recent years what will happen. If, for example, my water is supplied by this new body, Uisce Éireann, and it is not of good quality, will it refund the money it charged me? I do not think so. It has never happened previously. What if the water from my tap is brown or contains E.coli or whatever, as has happened on many occasions? At present, people get their water as a public service and they have no recourse to compensation. However, if it is privatised or is supplied through the system proposed by the Minister, there must be one standard and level of pressure across the board and if that is not delivered, people would be entitled to recompense or some type of credit. Given the state of the public water system at present, the Minister will be paying out a great deal more to the public than he will ever recoup from the water charge he intends to impose on poor people.

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