Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Eoghan Murphy has accused the Government of having manipulated and abused the Dáil in the way it rammed through legislation establishing Irish Water. He also says that the credibility of Irish Water lies in tatters.

Mired in scandal since its inception, Irish Water is now a toxic brand. Any proposal to leave this company with responsibility for the delivery of water services in this State is not credible. It should be abolished. Irish Water has become synonymous with everything that is wrong with this Fine Gael-Labour Party Government: cronyism, political manipulation of State boards which would make even Fianna Fáil blush, threats to citizens, and escalating taxes on struggling families.

The Taoiseach can no longer hide behind the troika for their decisions. He can no longer blame the big lads. He cannot say the big boys made him do it. Waving a blank piece of paper at me in an infantile way proves nothing. The Taoiseach's Government deals in an entirely compliant way with the elites in this society and in the European Union, and particularly in the banking fraternity. He treats ordinary citizens and the Oireachtas with contempt.

Quite a few times I have tried to figure out the almost benign arrogance that comes from exercising power. The Taoiseach does not need to consult us, so he does not do so. The sensible thing would have been to come in here, have the discussion and pick up some of the good ideas from some of the other TDs, incorporate them and then do whatever he wished to do. Instead, however, he came in with a fait accompli, using the guillotine and pushing his majority with incredible arrogance.

I listened to what the Taoiseach said earlier about cherishing the children of the nation equally, but he has attacked the welfare of vulnerable citizens. In addition, he cut back on the entitlements, protections and guarantees that hard-working families and the elderly in rural Ireland should have. Their public services were cut back while punitive taxes are imposed. The Taoiseach does not even recognise that citizens have rights, and he has cut child benefit, medical cards and the respite care grant. I could give a list as long as my arm of the punitive measures he has introduced.

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