Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I did not interrupt the Deputy in the way he is now doing. Deputies Cowen and Stanley raised the important issues of water poverty and ability to pay. These issues will be dealt with by the Government. The questions about the free allowance and affordability are also important and will be dealt with in a transparent manner long before the first bill comes through the door. As the bills will not arrive until the first quarter of 2015, there will be plenty of time in the coming 12 months to address these issues and I will ensure they are addressed.

On the question of a code of conduct with regard to those who may have difficulties paying their bills, that will be dealt with by the CER. The protocols that will have to be in place for water restrictions and dealing with people in arrears will be developed by the CER in a transparent and open way and will be discussed in the Dáil.

The debate in the Seanad lasted more than ten hours and we covered a wide range of issues. An Oireachtas committee is the appropriate forum for Irish Water, the regulator and me to discuss the issues arising. That will allow the system to be made accountable to the Oireachtas once the legislation is in place. We are giving power to the CER to perform certain tasks and it will be consulting widely with the public and reporting to an Oireachtas committee.

Deputy Higgins outlined his view of the process. Any search of the Internet would show that the Cuba of Fidel Castro not only operates public-private partnerships but also has attracted foreign direct investment into the water system in Havana. In the great Mao Zedong's country there are water charges and water meters.

I appreciate that Deputy Wallace may not have been aware that an amendment was introduced in the Seanad to copperfasten the existing legislation, which states that there can be no privatisation. The Ministers for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Environment, Community and Local Government cannot alienate their shares. There is no way for Irish Water to be privatised. This is a core issue for everybody in this House.

Deputy Naughten raised the issue of leakage on the supply side. The first fix will be free. There will not be an additional burden in this regard. The literature on metering around the world clearly indicates that metering conserves water by allowing for the identification of leakages that are in private and domestic parts of the supply network. Metering also reduces water usage. As Deputies who live in rural areas will be aware, group water schemes can attest to the significant reductions in water usage through the use of metering. Kilmeena group water scheme in County Mayo won an award for achieving savings of up to 70%.

Deputies Naughten and Luke 'Ming' Flanagan expressed concern about potable water in County Roscommon. Irish Water should not be allowed to charge for water supplies that are subject to restrictions on health grounds. This is why the Act gives the Minister power to make directions in this regard. I have no doubt that people who do not have access to a safe and healthy supply of water should not and will not be charged for it. County Roscommon is affected by approximately 90% of the boil-water notices issued nationally. These notices pertain to issues such as contamination by E. coli or cryptosporidium, excess lead or copper, inadequate disinfection and nitrate pollution. This is a serious issue, but the Act will ensure that everybody in this country has access to a potable water supply that meets their needs. They will be charged a fair amount for their water and every household will have a free allowance. Measures will be introduced for people who cannot afford to pay and people with health issues will also be dealt with. The only way we can make this new system work is by ensuring it is transparent, accountable and fair.

Approximately €30 million will have to be found to improve water supplies in Cork. The Bill will address that issue and it will also improve the water supply in the greater Dublin area. It has been estimated that we will have to find more than €500 million to ensure Dublin's water supplies are adequate to meet demand. Demand and supply are almost in equilibrium at present, which was why water was turned off at night when a serious problem arose several weeks ago.

Some speakers have suggested that local authorities will lose powers. At present a business in County Wicklow is paying twice as much for its water as a comparable business in County Kildare. There is a vast difference in prices among the 34 water authorities around the country. We have to ensure cost convergence for the commercial world so that people will not lose out. The charge for domestic consumption will be the same in every part of the country.

The issues of safety and health will be dealt with. Major cities such as Dublin and Cork will have adequate and proper water supplies. The system will be fair. There is a plan to augment the water supply between the River Shannon and urban conurbations of a particular size. This is the future for our country.

We have a great deal of water here but, unfortunately, we are not in the right place in terms of treatment, supply etc. We are ensuring that in future in this country we will have the capacity to attract water-intensive industries. Companies in the ICT sector, the pharmaceutical-chemical sector or the agricultural sector will come to Ireland because we will ensure this is the place to come. I was in England recently, and last year, in the autumn, there was drought in parts of England. We have a major role to play here in attracting industry and I am happy that this is part of this process.

The strength of the Oireachtas is not only in this House but in the committees. As I said in the Seanad, I am happy to attend meetings of those committees at any time to discuss outstanding issues. I have no problem with that. Irish Water must come before the committees and so must the Commission for Energy Regulation, which is on the record as saying it wants to be proactive in its communication as soon as possible in this regard. I hope I can answer on Committee Stage all of the questions that remain unanswered from some Deputies, but the Oireachtas committees will be a tower of strength in getting these answers, so that people can be happy that TDs, notwithstanding the issues raised today, will have the capacity and power to get the answers to those questions that remain in their minds. I am confident, notwithstanding the pressure on all of us here because of the troika, that this is fair and equitable, and I look forward to Committee Stage.

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