Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I know Deputy Martin did not read many documents. He should read it back. I hope that all the changes we have made will alleviate the concerns of the many thousands of people who marched peacefully and legitimately in recent weeks in cities and towns across the country. Their peaceful and dignified manner contrasts with the behaviour of some of the ringleaders of the protests to which I and other Labour Party and Fine Gael colleagues have been subjected in recent times. They are ringleaders who masquerade with a ballot box in one hand and a megaphone in the other and who have no interest in solutions, only in fomenting despair and discontent. Their principal ambition seems to be to turn us into Greece. They are ringleaders who incite and whip things up and then, like cowards, put their megaphones back in the boot of the car and drive away. They run away. What kind of leadership is that?

Since I became Labour Party leader and Tánaiste, I said that we would govern with head and heart in equal balance - listening to the people and doing the best for this country. I believe the revised package of water reforms announced today by my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, does exactly that - listening and acting in the best interests of the people and the State.

In the time available to me, I will refer to something Deputy Cowen said earlier. Great public projects, both in Ireland and internationally, rarely follow a smooth path, and Irish Water is no exception. Deputy Cowen spoke about the motorways. For years, the Fianna Fáil motorway programme was plagued by whopping cost overruns and mismanagement that at times threatened to derail the entire enterprise. Eventually, better project management through a national structure rather than a local county-based one greatly improved the situation. The main motorways are of great economic benefit to the country, but one needs vision to see through a serious investment programme to address a serious problem in the country. Today, we have adjusted the system to improve efficiency and long-term clarity. It is Irish Water mark two, and I have no doubt there will be further adjustments when we get the results of large-scale meter readings in the period up to 2018, when the measures announced today will come up for review. The important thing is the goal we have set of sustained investment, a secure supply at a reasonable cost, clean rivers and a water system that is fit for the times we live in. It is so sad to read about the towns that suffer with raw sewage, including Cobh, Passage West, Ringaskiddy, Youghal, Killybegs and Arklow. A total of 42 smaller towns are affected, including Kilkee, Kilrush, Rush, Spiddal, Duncannon and Dunmore East.

In two years time, we will proudly commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the spark that ultimately gave this nation its freedom. We will listen to the criticisms and alternatives that the Opposition will offer. However, getting behind a really solid investment programme in water of the kind we have outlined today is a fitting memorial. Although it was the second city of the British Empire, Dublin in 1916 had an appalling infrastructure and appalling poverty and death. Today we have, comparatively, a very poor national water infrastructure. We must act to fix it. I invite the people in the Opposition to look at our proposals and see what they will deliver to families, communities and the country as a whole.

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