Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

People dealing with boil water notices will receive a discount, but this should be extended to those with lead piping as it can be a health hazard and is present in many towns. If the Government is to cancel charges for those receiving undrinkable water, it should do likewise for individuals with lead pipes until they are replaced.

Some people are genuinely finding it difficult to make ends meet and will welcome any amendment to water charges. However, the changes are inadequate and serve only as an introductory offer to entice people to sign up to the imposition of charges that will be far higher in the long term. Sinn Féin has committed to reversing the charges if it is in government, if they have not already been reversed at that point. Today's announcement is a fig leaf attempting to cover enormous political difficulties experienced by the Government, particularly in the local and European elections. The huge protests have caused the Government pain. These changes are a desperate attempt to stave off massive and growing popular opposition to allow the Government to serve the remainder of its time and avoid humiliation in the next general election, be it in 2015 or early 2016. The next logical step following today's announcement is for the Government to take this defeat on the chin and abolish water charges and Irish Water, as configured. The Government and some elements of the media have attempted to portray the water charges protests as a sinister conspiracy. An effort has been made to entice and frighten people into accepting the concessions, but it will not work. I urge as many people as possible to turn out for the peaceful protest planned in Dublin on 10 December. Mass peaceful protest works in conjunction with the ballot box and shows that there can be political consequences. This is clear in the way the Government has backed down today on water charges - it is a humiliating retreat. It should own up, admit it is wrong, abolish Irish Water and water charges. If people come out in high numbers on 10 December to demand that the Government abolish the charges, it will have an incentive to take the final step.

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