Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I refer again to the reasons for setting up Irish Water, which are to deal with the poor infrastructure, the poor quality drinking water in many cases and the poor quality of treatment works.

It is important we fix all these for the next 50 years. That is why Irish Water was set up. We have to move to a situation whereby Irish Water, as part of the Ervia board, can deal with the practicality of answering telephone calls and providing people with information about leaks and how they can be fixed and so on. It is also important from a Government point of view that there is certainty in regard to the charges and levels that will apply and for how long they will apply in terms of the structure set out. The two policy positions put to the regulator by Government were that water provision in respect of every child should be free and that every household should be entitled to a 30,000 litre free allowance on production of a PPS number.

The service is not being privatised. It is being retained in public ownership for the benefit of the people. It is time to deal with this issue and to do so in a fair and clear way in order that people know exactly what they will get for the payments they make.

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