Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to have the opportunity to address this very important and serious issue for all the people of this country. I have just come from a meeting with Welsh parliamentarians, who tell me the average cost of water for them is between Stg£450 and Stg£500 per household. They moved away from the old rateable system, although some 40% are still on that system, which is charged separately, to a new metered system where the average charge is Stg£450 to Stg£500.

Of course, Sinn Féin can scarcely talk about charges considering the household charge it is part of and the fact it has now put forward a budget which will see an 11% cut across every Department in Northern Ireland.

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