Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

To answer the first part of the question, I am proud of the decisions the Government has taken to introduce major reforms in the governance of the Garda for the first time since the 1920s. The establishment of an independent Garda authority which will be drawn from a broad swathe Irish society, the extension of the whistleblowers legislation to include gardaí and the ability of gardaí to go directly to GSOC if they have complaints are major reforms in the way in which gardaí are managed. When all of this episode is over these reforms will certainly stand the test of time.

With regard to the second part of the Deputy's question, charging for water is precisely to fund water services and ensure funding is available to deal with the problem of leakages, as we have approximately 40% leakage from the system, the difficulties of boil water notices and the danger that major urban areas including Dublin will find themselves without an adequate supply of water because of the lack of investment in the water system over many years.

In introducing the charges we were very mindful to introduce them in a way that is fair and reasonable. There will be no fixed charge. There will be no standing charge. There will be a free household water allowance and an additional allowance of 38,000 litres for each child. There will also be a household package available to pensioners, carers, those with disabilities and those who qualify for the household benefit package, which will be €100 a year. There will be a cap on the payment for people who have medical conditions and require the use of additional water. Charging for water will be on a metered basis, so it will be on a usage basis, which has the double advantage of encouraging conservation of water in the first instance and enabling households to reduce their water bill.

Those households which are not metered by the time the charging system comes into effect will have the opportunity of getting a rebate of the charges paid if they are over the amount they have used once the metering system has come into effect. The charges concerned will be used to provide the funding that Irish water needs to ensure the people of this country have an adequate and safe supply of water for the years ahead. In addition to this the Government is providing a subsidy to Irish Water of €537 million.

See this speech in context