Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It probably escaped Deputy Joe Higgins's notice - perhaps he was away at the time - that I announced the water support payment as far back as July. Not only that, it is written into the document that myself and the Taoiseach agreed on in the first week of July. It has been a matter of public record for some time. While it might have escaped the Deputy's notice, it was fully and publicly announced and mentioned in almost all media. Obviously, the Deputy did not spot it. However, he did spot it in more recent times. It was announced that far back, as it was my concern to ensure that households dependent on social welfare payments would get additional support for water charges.

What is essential is that all of the people in this country, including those I have the honour to represent in Dublin West, have a clean supply of high-quality, drinkable water. It is also essential that the people of Ireland, including those in my constituency in Dublin West, have opportunities to find employment in tourism, agriculture, industry and other fields of business which are heavily dependent on good, clean water supplies.

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