Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate this evening. I oppose totally the introduction of the water tax on the citizens of this country because we already pay for water. Now, the Government will make us pay on the double for the same water supply. The purpose of the Bill tonight is to exempt those who have received a product from Irish Water which is not fit for purpose. It shows the fallacy of the Irish Water project the Government has pursued. Why should we even have to look at introducing legislation to protect consumers and citizens in this way? That is the overall problem. There is no doubt that the Government and Irish Water have set out to treat citizens as customers and as people operating in a free market to buy a product. This product is not fit for purpose for many households. Approximately 36,000 households do not have a drinkable water supply yet the Government proposes to charge them for it. It is not acceptable to engage in the gymnastics of saying there is water in and water out and that if one is in an area with a public sewer supply one will still have to pay as one can still use the water to flush one's toilets. Any company that produces a product consumers cannot use must refund the costs. That would happen with any other product in the so-called "market place" the Government wants to see us all in.

In his contribution earlier, the Minister spoke about Denmark and how it achieved a 12% reduction of water usage on the introduction of metering. He did not say it was on the introduction of charges. It was on the introduction of metering and technology to conserve water. The project the Government has embarked on is not about conserving water supplies, it is about generating revenue. That is the sole purpose. Irish Water has the right if it does not achieve the revenue intended from charging to revert to CER to have the tariff revised to ensure its targets are reached. That makes a mockery of the whole system that is being introduced. Citizens are being forced to pay on the double for a service that everybody should have as of right.

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