Anne Ferris (Wicklow, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Bill that is before the House is being put in place to address a number of complex issues including the need for greater investment in water and waste water services and to meet obligations arising from our current economic situation. Overall, it is intended to ensure our future by securing our water supply. Specific issues include climate change, population growth, investment in enterprise, the conditions set out in the water framework directive and obligations arising from the EU-IMF-ECB agreement. It is clear that these matters can no longer be ignored and that the Government must act to address them. In doing so, it must strike a balance of fairness.

It is worthwhile to discuss the detail of the issues I have just mentioned briefly to gain greater clarity on why a Bill like this is being brought before the House. The consequences of climate change continue to be felt around the world. The effects should not be underestimated and it is important, given changing wet-weather patterns, that the Irish water network is not compromised. This network is needed to address a huge growth in our population. Just as the Minister for Education and Skills is securing our educational infrastructure to meet this growth, we must likewise secure our water infrastructure. If we are to attract companies to this island and encourage our small and medium enterprises, we have to meet the service needs of companies. We should be doing everything we can to increase job numbers and this investment in water will do just that. The water framework directive is another matter that we are legislatively obliged to adhere to. It obliges the State to ensure that our groundwater has good quantitative status and good chemical status. This must be achieved by 2015. The last and perhaps most immediately pressing matter is the troika agreement with the State.

Water services cost approximately €1.2 billion in 2010. Revenue to meet this cost was achieved through non-domestic charges which yielded €200 million. The remaining €1 billion was funded by the State through a combination of Exchequer grants and local authority resources, including the local government fund. It is important to note that Ireland is the only country in the OECD that does not charge for the use of water. It is clearly an unusual and unsustainable situation. While the need for the Bill is demonstrable, its direct effects must be assessed carefully to meet the requirements of equity and fairness. I understand that the introduction of metering is to take place over a couple of years but that not every household will be metered due to high cost or technical difficulty. It is important that as fair a system as possible is established so that these households are not unfairly burdened. I call for measures to be introduced to address affordability so that low-income households are not forced to pay when they can ill afford to do so. People with medical conditions who may require a higher usage of water must not be punitively targeted with higher bills. The Commission for Energy Regulation is to set standards and protect the interests of the customer which is welcome but it is vitally important that the regulator takes affordability and need into account. To do otherwise would be unjust.

While I welcome the fact that the company is to remain in State ownership, I worry about the position of local authority staff. Greater certainty must be given to them so they know where they stand into the future. It is important to note that this investment in water metering coupled with consumption-based charges will reduce water demand at several times the rate which could be achieved through a similar level of investment in the replacement of public water mains. The Bill will, I hope, achieve what it is meant to. The security of our water supply is vital. While we must do what we can to secure it, we must do so in a manner which does not unduly burden those who can ill-afford it.

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