Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is a Bill entitled an Act to make provision whereby an owner of a dwelling shall not be charged for water provided to him or her by Irish Water in circumstances where the water being provided is either subject to a boil-water notice or is contaminated by a negative condition, and such owner shall remain exempt from having to pay water charges for the period such notice remains or such contamination exists. This is the thrust of the Bill, which follows the long, sorry saga of the Government's attempts to charge for water, which have culminated in the establishment of Irish Water.

It is not that we wish to oppose that process, this element thereof or anything contained within the Water Services Act just for the sake of opposition. It is not a major secret that we agree with the concept of water charges, but we do so only where there is a system that is fit for purpose. We believe the Government has rushed its efforts to charge for water and to put in place the gold-plated, bonus-driven super-quango that is Irish Water.

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