Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

No one can understand why these three basic issues - the subvention, social affordability and the free allowance - have not been resolved. Over a year and a half, Irish Water has spent €180 million using an expensive transition team. It stretches credibility somewhat to suggest that the Government could not have come up with this model earlier. That is the delay, and the Taoiseach will be aware that that is why the regulator cannot do its work and Irish Water cannot make its submission. Those essential decisions have been deliberately withheld from the public domain. This is a key priority which could have been discussed this week if we had that information. However, we do not have it, for some reason that I cannot fathom, and I do not believe it is because the Government has not worked the model out; it is for more basic political reasons. In fairness to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, he said we might know by St. Patrick's Day. Perhaps he was thinking of the phrase the Taoiseach once used, "Paddy likes to know". I do not know whether Paddy will know on St. Patrick's Day but perhaps the Taoiseach could enlighten us as to whether he will.

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