Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to tell the House that very good and solid progress has been made with Irish Water. The objective of the Labour Party, Fine Gael and the Government is to have an Irish Water charging regime that is affordable, that offers clarity and certainty, and that is capped so that if people, on the evidence of the meters, are using less water than the standard charges would indicate, they will be in a position to get a rebate.

I was delighted to appoint Deputy Alan Kelly as Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, and he has embarked on addressing the issues relating to Irish Water with his usual energy and gusto. As a fellow Tipperary man, I am sure Deputy Mattie McGrath is only delighted, and we expect him to reflect that.

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