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

Thankfully, that ludicrous decision has been overturned. During that debate and subsequently the Government failed to listen. It planned to appoint a regulator who would deal with the water charges issue. It was initially confident that the problem of perception about the level of charges could be kept at arm's length. I wonder what the Commission for Energy Regulation thinks of its role today in the light of what it was asked to do this time last year. Is the commission not supposed to act in the interests of the public and consumers?

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