John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Contracts were handed out to companies to install the meters in the absence of a proper tendering system. Many qualified local contractors were excluded. I can give the Minister the names of people in Wexford who asked to be included in the tendering system, but that opportunity was denied to them.

The Minister might also clarify the current position with regard to subcontractors. I have been informed by some subcontractors in Wexford that they are not getting paid by Uisce Éireann. I ask the Minister to investigate that and see if it is the truth. That situation should not be allowed to continue. It is certainly not in the best interests of subcontractors. We have had cases in the past of subcontractors being left high and dry. Contractors are not being paid by this body at an early stage in its existence.

I listened to what the representatives of Uisce Éireann had to say at the committee meetings that took place over the past two days. They made a great play about the service that will be provided to customers. As I understand it, customers in Wexford who are affected by a fault will have to ring an office in Kilkenny. The officials in Kilkenny will notify their counterparts in Dublin, who will notify the people on the ground. If this roundabout system of getting word to the relevant people that there is a leak or a fault is to be put in place, God help the person who has the leak or fault because he or she have to wait quite a long time to get a solution to the problem.

People want to know how much they will have to pay for their houses' water supplies. This seems to be a mystery. It was said on radio this morning that a tariff may be imposed on large families. It seems that the more children one has, the higher the water rate one will pay. Perhaps the Minister is moving into the family planning area as well. Has he decided that one will have to pay a smaller water charge if one has a small number of children, and that one will have to pay a higher water charge if one has more children?

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