Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was listening to the Minister of State express his outrage about what had happened at the weekend. I agree that it was outrageous, but sometimes it is important for the Government to look at the mote in its eye. When members of the Government were in opposition, I remember the total character assassination, day in and day out, of the Government at the time. They impugned our motives to the point that they inflamed passions. They might remember the incident when paint was thrown over Mary Harney, then a Minister. At the time they did not seem to be too concerned about the results of the lies they were telling about this incident. Do Deputies opposite think I acted in anyway other than in what I thought was the interest of the people? Do they think I acted for bankers, builders or any other vested interest? If I did, they are doing the same because they are following the same policies. The vast majority of Members work honestly and to the best of their ability. We might believe in different things and take a different approach, but, unless I had good grounds for saying so, I never impugned the integrity of someone in this House who had devoted his or her life to public service. It is important to realise that what we must do in Ireland is debate the issues. The way members of the Government tackled matters when in opposition did not allow for debate or any teasing out of the different options we faced because of the collapse of the world banking system.

Members of the Government should get a copy of the National Recovery Plan 2011-2014, also known as the four year plan. They should stop using the troika, the four year plan and Fianna Fáil as the excuse for everything. It is worth reading what was included in the four year plan about the local property tax:

The Plan commits to a funding platform for local Government on a phased basis. An interim Site Value Tax will be introduced in 2012, applicable to all land other than agricultural land and land subject to commercial rates. The interim measure will involve a fixed local service contribution of about €100 per annum (€2 per week) which will raise €180 million from households. The final Site Value Tax will be introduced in 2013 when valuations have been completed.

It is estimated that Site Value Tax will apply to 1.8 million households and zoned lands that would equate to an estimated further 700,000 houses. At an average of just over €200 per dwelling (or site) this would raises the €530 million full year amount targeted for the Plan period.

For full implementation of the tax, commercial rates will be moved to a site value basis also.

All that was going to be raised from dwelling houses was an average of €200 per house, not the figures we are getting in Dublin, Galway and other urban areas, where the average local property tax amount will be much higher than the site value tax. It is amazing that the Government was able to drop the site value tax for the much more expensive local property tax which is more sensitive to rising house prices. It does not state the troika had any problem with these changes. It is amazing that it does not have any difficulty with the total failure to deliver reforms in some of the closed professions, particularly the legal profession. Deputy Alan Shatter was interested in reform of the legal profession, but vested interests in the Law Library were going to make sure that did not take place. The Government has chosen not to do a lot of things included in the plan, many of which would be good reforms that would be timely and are badly needed. It is time it stood on its own feet and stated it believes in water charges and will continue with the programme.

The second thing we hear is that there was no investment in water infrastructure during the period of the previous Government. In my constituency I can name scheme after scheme and area after area that benefited. The figures speak for themselves, with over €3 billion invested in wastewater services and €2 billion in the provision of a water supply. There is hardly an area in the country that has not seen an improved water supply. One of the programmes the previous Government was completing, to which the current Government put an end, involved bringing water to those who did not have access to a public supply through a group scheme or the public supply provided by a local authority. People living in marginal areas are not very important to the Government.

Another issue escapes attention because the detail can be embarrassing. We are not just talking about water charges; the Government is also charging for wastewater and the provision of wastewater services is much more expensive than the provision of water services. Much of the wastewater does not come from private households but from the public street or wherever water accumulates, particularly in urban areas. It must be disposed of, which adds hugely to the cost of the so-called water service. It is obvious, when we look at the figures for the 500,000 houses that do not have access to a public wastewater service under the Government's regime, that a two-person household was to be charged €149, while a single person household was to be charged €88. This was something that was never contemplated. I remember debating the septic tank Bill as we called it, or the Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011, and the Minister was categoric that people would not be charged for water out of a household because I asked that question on Committee Stage. He was categoric, but something has changed since.

The Minister of State says there is no question of selling the water service. I am glad to hear it. Do I believe it? The answer is not really.

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