Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is fine.

There is no question that the Government's back is against the wall on this issue and yet it is an issue we must sort out. We all know about the mess of communication, the consultancy issue, bonuses and so on. That obviously leaves a very bad taste in people's mouths when they are short of money and they see this as the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of charges.

I ask the Minister of State to consider the following issues. All people should pay a standing charge until all meters are installed. There is a need to clear up the nonsense about a €188 charge for a first call-out. Those kinds of threats should not be made to people. Local authorities should look after minor water repair issues to allow Irish Water to concentrate on the major issues of infrastructure for the entire country.

At the same time, we must have a good system of producing water both for the people and for economic development. If we do not succeed in this, we will be in really heavy water - if that phrase can be accepted. I point to some of the problems we have to get over. More than 22,000 families are still on boil-water notices. The national leakage rate is over 40%. There is insufficient drinking water for the greater Dublin area, including the counties that surround Dublin. We have very little room for slippage because we are operating at well over 96% of capacity most of the time.

We need to invest in water and wastewater infrastructure which requires about €600 million a year. Given the state of the country's finances, Irish Water needs to be able to borrow money that does not appear in the State's balance sheet. It is vital that we succeed in this regard. We are in the last-chance saloon and we must deal with these issues.

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