John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I compliment Deputies Cowen and Calleary on bringing this motion before the House tonight. Given the Labour Party's position prior to the last general election was to oppose the introduction of water charges, I never expected to be debating the introduction of water charges in this House during the lifetime of this Government. The 2011 Labour Party manifesto states: "Labour does not favour water charges". On 18 February 2011, the Minister, Deputy Howlin, stated: "We are not in favour of water charges". On 28 June 2010, the Tánaiste in an article in The Irish Examinerstates: "I am against water charges. Water is a necessity. I will always believe that essential services like water should be delivered as a public service." Obviously, somewhere along the way the Labour Party abandoned its ideals and the commitments it gave to the Irish people prior to the last general election.

What we are now faced with is the introduction of make-shift water charges. Serious questions arise in relation to the Government's proposed water charges regime and the long-term implications of this for taxpayers and social welfare recipients. We welcome that Fine Gael and the Labour Party have been forced to come clean on aspects of the water charges plan. Fine Gael in particular has been doing its utmost to avoid having to tell households ahead of the local and European elections how much they will have to pay for their water. The Government's hand was forced by the tabling of this motion which demands an end to the secrecy surrounding the water charges regime. The Minister, Deputy Hogan, focused in today's announcement on charges rather than water quality.

He did not outline any major investment in water networks. He gave no guarantee that families who fork out hundreds of euro per year for their water-----

See this speech in context