Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Higgins raised the question of a referendum on the water issue in the autumn. There will be not be a referendum. I assure the Deputy that Uisce Éireann or Irish Water will not be privatised. It is a public entity in respect of the people of our country. The reason for setting up Uisce Éireann is not only the fact that we are the last country in the OECD to apply a charge for the use of water provided by the public purse but the situation we find ourselves in where the global use of water will increase by 40% over the next 20 years and the situation in Ireland where 18,000 families have to boil water, almost 1 million homes are under threat because of the inadequacy of treatment works and 40% of water that is produced leaks away. In addition, most areas in the country are operating at near capacity and the Deputy witnessed the difficulties in Dublin last winter. His comment that this is a move towards privatisation is without foundation or basis and it is not true. We will keep repeating that as necessary. Any future government that would attempt to privatise water would have to come back to the Dáil to deal with that.

Deputy Boyd Barrett referred to natural resources. There is a programme for the development and use of natural resources. They are difficult to deal with because of concerns - some legitimate and some not - around the country. The Deputy mentioned wind, sea, land, water-----

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