Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I just wanted clarification that 90% of boil notices are not in Roscommon, although we have significant problems with a number of schemes.

I wholeheartedly endorse the comments of Deputy McNamara because what he said is absolutely correct and accurate. The Minister of State knows in his heart that what he said is true. Deputy McNamara was wrong on one point, however. He gave an example relating to the HSE. While I agree there is huge difficulty in getting accountability from the HSE, at least in the legislation relating to the HSE, there is a legal responsibility on the Executive to respond to parliamentary questions. There is no such legal responsibility in this legislation vis-à-vis Irish Water.

This typifies what has gone on here today. There is no accountability with regard to the passage of this legislation, with only minutes allowed to ram it through. There has been no legitimate debate on the Bill and there will be no mechanism to hold Irish Water to account once it is passed. The Minister of State has said that its representatives can appear before the Oireachtas committee. In the past Oireachtas committees worked far more effectively than they do now. If one asks the members of the Committee on Health and Children if they are satisfied with the level of accountability from the HSE and they will say "no". Every single member will tell one that but the HSE has a legal responsibility, underpinned by legislation, to answer parliamentary questions. Irish Water will not have such a responsibility. That is a fundamental flaw in this legislation and it is for that reason alone that I will be opposing the passage of this Bill. What is going on here is a farce.

One in four people in Roscommon has a boil water notice at the moment and I fundamentally disagree with them being charged for water. It is morally wrong and this legislation facilitates the imposition of charges on those people. The Minister of State said that he can direct Irish Water not to charge those people but there is nothing in the legislation that says that if people cannot drink the water coming from their taps, they do not have to pay for it. I want that written into the legislation. It is a basic human right and that provision should be written into the Bill - if one cannot drink it, one does not pay for it. It is as simple as that. It is wrong that such a provision is not being written into the legislation. I urge the Minister to concede and accept the amendment I have tabled.

People should have a legal right to an allocation of water for which they do not have to pay. Access to water is a human right and people should legitimately have access to some water free of charge. The Minister of State may say that is the Government's intention but again, there is nothing in the legislation to guarantee it. What we have is a facilitating Bill that allows Irish Water to do whatever it likes. It will produce an annual report and then get a nod and a wink through the committee, one day a year, but it will not be accountable to these Houses. What Deputy McNamara has said should set off alarm bells for every single Member of this House. If the elected members of Clare County Council cannot get answers from Irish Water today, before the legislation has even been enacted, what chance will they have after it passes when there is no provision for accountability in the Bill? The Minister of State can give all the commitments he likes but he knows that unless it is in black and white, in legislation, it will not happen. The Minister of State also knows that were it not for the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, many of the scandals in our health system would never have been exposed. They were not exposed through parliamentary questions because one cannot get answers to such questions. They were not exposed through questioning by Oireachtas committee members because answers were not forthcoming at committee meetings either. The Minister of State used the freedom of information tool very effectively. He was one of the most competent members of the Opposition in the last Dáil because of his ability to use that particular tool. We should, as a basic right, ensure that it is written into legislation that Irish Water has to answer questions, whether those questions are from Clare County Council, Roscommon County Council or any other council. Someone must be answerable for the fact that the people of Castlerea, Boyle and south Roscommon cannot drink their water but could, after this legislation is enacted, be charged for that undrinkable water. The Minister of State will stand up, no doubt, and say he intends to issue a directive to Irish Water but if it is his intention to do so, he should put it into the legislation. That is the only way communities in Ireland will be assured of a decent water supply. It is the one gun that can be put to the head of Irish Water - if it does not sort out water supply problems, it will not get paid. It is the only way that I can ensure that the people in my county can drink the water that is coming through their taps. The people of Castlerea have had to tolerate poor water quality for the last three years. Many more will have to tolerate it for a minimum of 12 months and it is simply not good enough. Some 90% of the people in this country who cannot drink the water from their taps are living in my home county. It is not good enough that legislation will be enacted here that could lead to them being charged for that water even though they cannot even use it to brush their teeth.

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