Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I begin by commending the work of my party colleague, Deputy Stanley, and his office for the publishing of this Bill. Sinn Féin has a proven track record of opposition to water charges after the abolishment of such in Northern Ireland and the consistent campaigning against their introduction in this State. It is time for this Government to start listening to the chorus of voices speaking and chanting together against Irish Water and water charges. It is time for a referendum. We are not fooled. We believe strongly that the setting up of Irish Water is a step towards the privatisation of our water services. This cannot be allowed to happen. Water is a human right, not a commodity to be sold off for competitive enterprise. If the Government is claiming that no such privatisation will take place, it will have no qualms about holding a referendum in order to enshrine it under public ownership in our Constitution.

The people of this State have been pushed too far and have suffered as a result of Ireland's reckless banking system. They have given far more than they can afford.

Water charges are but another burden adding to the litany of charges imposed upon hard-pressed citizens who face each week with financial uncertainty and insecurity.

The Government seems to conveniently ignore the fact that not only is charging for water immoral but at a time when the economy has stalled, jobs have been lost, workers' rights have been eroded and families are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, it is simply not affordable.

In rural Ireland, thousands of people use group water schemes to provide clean and drinkable water for themselves and their community. Some own private wells that are built and maintained by private individuals. They are responsible for the installation, upkeep and maintenance at a cost. Water has already been paid for through centralised tax increases but because the last Fianna Fáil and Green Party Government gave a blank cheque to our failing banks, this money has been diverted to patch over the cracks of a severely broken financial system. Not only that but after promises of not "one red cent" going back into banks after the 2011 general election, Fine Gael and Labour have carried on with the Fianna Fáil agenda. They have reneged on many promises to the people of Ireland. Those in rural areas forced to seek their own drinkable water have already been paying twice for many years. This is outrageous. Water should be a public service that provides for all of the public.

Where does rural Ireland fit into Irish Water's plans? The taxpayer has been subventing Irish Water through the diversion of public funds to set up the corporate entity. This money could have been used to fix leaks and to provide drinkable water to rural and urban dwellers. We should have left this with local authorities. There was no need for call centres, no need for a supra-management structure and no need for the corporate monster that is Irish Water because reformed local authorities were capable of providing the services. Sinn Féin will, if in Government, dismantle Irish Water and replace it with a more efficient and democratically accountable public service body with strong input from local authorities. We believe that we have the solution to the disastrous mess created by this current Government.

From its conception, Irish Water has been marred by controversy. It comes as no surprise that now there is widespread opposition to Irish Water. The people have taken to the streets in their hundreds and thousands. Has the Government chosen to ignore them for fear of facing up to the fact that it is in its dying days? Does this Government conveniently forget that it sits in this Chamber, across this floor, representing the very people who are marching against its policies? Fine Gael and Labour have tried to tactically divide Irish society by pitting the private sector against the public sector, the employed against the unemployed and the well-off against the working poor. This issue, however, has visibly united people in opposition to the Government's attempt to introduce water charges. It must listen. Democracy is in action. Giving the people of this State a vote on retaining water is vital and that time is now.

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