Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

My understanding is that councillors representing the Deputy's party, Independents and Fianna Fáil control Wicklow County Council. I, therefore, suggest to her that when she gets time in her busy schedule, she pick up the telephone and make a call to her own public representatives who serve on that county council and suggest to them that they might have a conversation with management of the local authority? I am happy to say that, as a consequence of the budget and in connection with the families about whom the Deputy spoke in County Wicklow and other council areas throughout Ireland who are entitled to rent supplement supported by my Department, as well as older people, something like 700,000 households will receive a water support payment via the Department of Social Protection in quarterly instalments of €25. That would be the first thing about which I suggest Sinn Féin councillors advise affected families. Second, as the Deputy will have heard from the Taoiseach, water payments have been capped - the maximum payments people in the situation described by her will pay will be severely limited. The Minister for Finance will explain in detail the measures for people at work when the Finance Bill is debated in the House. A considerable support structure has been put in place. The Deputy has just heard the leader of Fianna Fáil question whether that support structure will be worthwhile. That support structure which, as the Deputy noted, will cost up to €100 million will be worthwhile.

The goal is to have a safe and clean water system for our population, including those who are on low incomes in RAS and local authority properties in County Wicklow, many of whom are represented by Sinn Féin councillors. It is important that they have a clean and reliable supply of water. As treated water is expensive, I would expect the Sinn Féin members of Wicklow County Council to suggest to the local authority manager that people should be encouraged to conserve the water they use for household or gardening purposes in order to reduce the cost of metered water to everybody, including themselves. When the metering system is working, families with lower usage will get a rebate on their usage. We are putting in place a modern system that supplies everybody with good, healthy and clean water, including industry, for the jobs that Wicklow absolutely requires and needs. In all my dealings with Wicklow over the years, this has been a key factor in developing the county, not to mention agriculture or the people on group water schemes in Wicklow, who pay for their water and who need high assurances about the quality of that water. I ask the Deputy to pick up the telephone and ask them to speak to their manager. I am shocked that they would permit a letter to issue.

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