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

It refused to accept the need for an ability to pay clause or that the Irish Water model would be too cumbersome and would end up costing the taxpayer more, particularly given that the service level agreements left local authorities in charge of servicing and repairing infrastructure for the following two decades. It should never be forgotten that the Fine Gael and Labour Party Members who voted for the Bill also voted to cut to a trickle the supply of water to those who would not or could not pay.

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