Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

What we are trying to do is deal with a huge legacy in regard to under-investment in water services, and we must do that under the constraints of a public capital programme, which will be a problem for the next few years whether we like it or not, but Dublin, and the east coast in particular, cannot wait that long for investment in water.

Deputy Murphy should be aware that in the traditional sense we have spent approximately €12 million on consultants in terms of legal and accountancy services. The hardware and software IT systems are essential to setting up a new public water utility company in the same way as they were for the single electricity market for electricity generation on which €256 million was spent. By dealing with Bord Gáis in this way we are saving €87 million.

The Deputy might want to be politically blind about this because after all the explanations she got from the Irish Water people as well as the Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht she does not want to see where these savings are made or that we have to do it in this particular way. I challenge the Deputy to tell me the cutbacks she will make in housing, education and health to provide the capital programme for water. The Deputy will find that very difficult to do but we have to find a new way of getting investment in water. This is the vehicle we intend to use to ensure we will not run out of water on the east coast in eight to ten years time.

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