Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to hear the ten point climb-down has nothing to do with electoral cycles. I welcome the opportunity to address the House in response to the massive climb-down the Government has announced in the motion. The former Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd, was correct when he said the setting up of Irish Water had been an unmitigated disaster. It is a pity, however, that it took him 11 months to say it. Public confidence in Irish Water and the Government is shot. Confidence has to be restored by finding a system that can deliver proper water infrastructure and quality water to the people who are already contributing through their taxes.

I want this debate to be constructive, unlike that held last year, when the Government rammed through the Water Services Bill 2013. It is incumbent on us to inform the House about the context in which today's announcement was made, examine what the announcement offers and set out reasonable and constructive alternatives that could still be pursued. Given that the 2013 Bill was passed on Second Stage in this House on 19 December 2013 after three and one quarter hours of debate, the much leaked clarity and certainty which the Taoiseach said would be provided today and which he said he was fed up explaining after answering questions more than 50 times have been a long time coming.

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