Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the chance to speak on this Bill. As mentioned by previous speakers in my party, we are not in a position to support it because there is a lack of clarity over the Government's plans for the implementation of water metering nationally. There has been a lack of detail on how much metering would cost the consumer. There is uncertainty among water management employees in local authorities, and decision-making in the Oireachtas has been rushed in terms of this Bill and the outlining of the water policy. There has been confusion at Cabinet level in regard to the total cost involved, and there is no guarantee forthcoming from the Government on water conservation or investment in water infrastructure as part of the changes it is planning to make.

Local authority staff have done a very good job over the years in keeping the water system up and running. There has definitely been under-investment in infrastructure. Local authority staff, who work by and large in their local areas, know the system very well and have ensured it has been tended to and developed, despite their not having had the required budget. They have maintained the system very well over the years.

The Government's plan for the water staff is unclear. It is obvious that the Government is going down the line of water metering. There is no debate anymore about whether Irish Water will be established. This Bill, which will be passed, will achieve that. However, the Minister must ensure that the maintenance of the current system will continue to be carried out by staff who know it well and who have done quite a good job over the years. There is still no clarity in this area. I ask that the Government provide assurance in this regard quickly.

Over the years, the laying of pipes has been carried out in many cases by agreement between water services staff and landowners. Informal agreements have been made in many cases because of the relationships that existed between local authority staff and the landowners with whom they were communicating. There was trust. Owing to the transfer of the pipes going through property to Irish Water, these relationships and agreements will no longer be remembered. The new entity may have little regard for local arrangements and knowledge and the communication that has been central to the operation of water systems over the years.

The Minister needs to ensure that the system will continue to operate at local level. He also needs to clarify how water metering will take place. It is essential that the permanent water staff working for local authorities be very closely involved in water metering. If they are not, outside contractors who will not have knowledge of the location of pipes or junctions will put meters in the wrong locations. We have witnessed this in many counties, including mine, where water meters were installed for non-domestic operations. Local authority staff who were not part of the process ended up having to tidy up afterwards and ensure the job was done properly, at great cost to the State.

What will happen to the domestic households and non-domestic entities that have water meters already? The meters that are currently installed need to be used as the basis for future metering. Under no circumstances should they be ripped up only to install new ones. It is important that local operators are afforded the opportunity to learn how to install meters so they can be employed. In my area, courses in this have been run in recent years. Former construction workers have been trained in the installation of water meters. It will be unacceptable if their skills are not utilised and if, instead, a national contractor is used that does not try to ensure each area gains from potential employment opportunities.

It ought to be concretely clear that the establishment of Irish Water will in no way be the forerunner of privatisation. Unfortunately, we have seen mistakes in the past in this regard. The privatisation of Eircom was a total disaster. My party was in government at the time and I disagreed with the decision. We must learn the lessons that can be learned and ensure there will be no chance whatsoever that the water system will be privatised as a result of the establishment of Irish Water.

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