Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support Deputy Naughten's amendment. I acknowledge the work the Minister of State has done in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. He is a hard working, honest individual and as Deputy Naughten pointed out, when he was in opposition he elicited an enormous amount of information from statutory bodies, not because of them but in spite of them. That must be acknowledged but, having said that, this legislation epitomises everything that is wrong with our political system. I deeply regret that individual Members and political parties have chosen to boycott this debate but I understand why they have done so. I have sought debating time to discuss the Seanad referendum result, which has not happened. I have also called for a debate on the Smithwick tribunal report relating to alleged collusion between members of the Garda Síochána and terrorist groups. The tribunal lasted for almost decade but its final report has not been discussed in this Chamber yet. It is a farce.

One of the biggest political issues confronting me at the moment is that of pylons and Eirgrid. When I attend public meetings on the issue, public representatives, both local and national, stand up and say they have no control, authority or power. They say the pylons should not be erected, that they do not agree with it but that the mechanism to allow it developed over a period of time. Here we are today, passing the very same type of legislation as that which allows Eirgrid to determine how it supplies electricity. This Bill will take control and accountability away from elected representatives.

The basic principle of water charges is something which many Members of this House support. There has been much discussion about the idea of a free allowance per household, with the charge set at x, y or z. We are going to pass legislation today but no Member of this House will be able to tell any member of the public what the allowance or the charges will be. All we will be able to say is that the legislation has been passed, Irish Water exists and section 16 or section 17 gives the power to the Minister to formulate the charges but we do not know what they will be. Mark my words, this legislation is going to cause untold difficulty and hardship. Even in 20 years time we will not have 80% or 90% of households metered. Water metering was introduced in Britain a number of years ago but to date, the authorities there have not managed to install all of the meters required. We do not have access to high speed broadband in all parts of this country yet so I do not know how we will get all of the meters installed.

The main flaw in this legislation is that it is giving a blank cheque to the Minister and Irish Water. It is a pig in a poke and it is centralising authority. One of the big selling points for the recently introduced local property tax was that the moneys raised would go to local authorities to provide local services. What happened in reality was that €600 million was signed over from the local authorities to another central agency. No one has any control or power over this.

It is not satisfactory that while we are talking about better local government and introducing powers to make the Dáil more accountable, this Bill is handing power out of this Chamber and away from local authorities to an unaccountable body.

Another issue arises locally due to the increase in local authority rents. Deputy Naughten stated that if the water supply is not drinkable people should not pay. The same principle should apply to local authority houses. If work is in progress, houses are being renovated or a scheme has proven to be disastrous - as is the case in Glen Ding estate in Blessington - that should be taken into account. If the Minister or any staff member from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government were to go to Glen Ding estate in Blessington they would find scaffolding and plaster off the walls. I regret to say it is like the worst estate in Calcutta although it is only six or seven years old. Residents are being asked to pay rent and they face a rent increase. I urge the Minister of State to use his good offices to ensure that where there are difficulties with estates local authorities right across the country will not introduce rent increases until the problems are solved. If a local authority was inspecting a house for the RAS process or a health and safety officer was inspecting it for private rental the proprietor would be in front of the courts.

I was not present for the Second Stage debate but if I heard the statistic correctly, it was said that 90% of people nationally who have difficulty with drinking water are in Roscommon. I do not dispute that there is a major problem in Roscommon, as Deputy Naughten has outlined the position there. When I checked the relevant website in recent weeks I found that ten areas in Wicklow had boil-water notices. It is difficult to believe that 90% of people who have difficulty with drinking water come from Roscommon. I expect the range of people who have a problem with the quality of drinking water is far more extensive than that. That is one of the reasons I am in favour of the concept of having a national water authority - because it is clear that the system we have at the moment has not worked. However, we are putting a badly flawed concept in place today.

I will oppose the Bill not for populist reasons, because I believe in the principle of charging for the service, but because I do not agree with the lack of accountability that is inherent in the new system. If I meet someone in the street next week I will be able to say that we passed the legislation but I will not be able to inform him or her about the allowances or the charges. Even when the system is in place I will not have any remit and neither will locally elected representatives. When we fight election campaigns we urge people to elect a strong voice for Roscommon or for the Boyne Valley, yet when we come to the House we are absolutely powerless. Time and again we advocate the principle of giving power to unelected and unaccountable bodies. I am aware of how the water system works at the moment. Businesses do not have confidence in the concept of a meter outside their door. They do not know how to check it or how to turn it on or off. There is confusion about leaks. We will probably find that the standing charge will be greater than the usage charge.

One of the selling points of the legislation for people who support it is that we are paying for the water anyway, so let us have accountability and a proper and responsible use of the water supply. Could the Minister of State explain, in the event of a water charge being introduced, how people will be compensated, given that they are paying for the service already? Will there be a commensurate drop in income tax or will they pay for it on the double if no reduction is forthcoming? I would be happy to receive a note on the matter following the debate. It was stated that if the cost of providing water were allocated to each household the annual charge would be approximately €600 or €700. The information came to light during the debate in the Seanad. We owe it to the people who elected us to clarify the position. It is not right that we are expected to support a measure when we do not know what is involved and on which we have no assurance that in future we will be any better informed. That is totally unsatisfactory.

I lost the Fine Gael whip earlier this year due to my stance on an important piece of legislation. I have never been able to ascertain how the programme for Government was changed behind closed doors in spite of several parliamentary questions and requests for information. The issue was glossed over. It is not something in which the media or anyone else has a great interest but I feel it is a futile exercise coming to the House. I strongly support Deputy Naughten’s amendment.

I deeply regret that others have sought to boycott the Chamber. When we were in opposition we did it but the difficulty is that one has to come back at some stage. One cannot stay out forever. The legislation before the House is indicative of the lack of accountability. I take my hat off to the Minister of State, Deputy O’Dowd. He is one of the more accountable, responsible and apolitical Members of this House. He works for the common good. I feel for him because he must provide a front for this legislation, which epitomises everything that is bad in our system. Elected representatives will say in halls and houses in the future that the water services are out of their control and that Irish Water has the power. Today, we will sign off on another piece of legislation and the public will not be able to understand how it happened.

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