Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The last time I spoke about Irish Water in the Dáil, I spoke about my encounters with people in Galway city and county and the anger felt there. I said at the time that this anger was genuine and based on a fear that what was being introduced was going to be completely unaffordable and that what had been set up was more of a HSE rather than an ESB. The uncertainty in people's minds was exploited, preyed upon and whipped up by people who were peddling myths and mistruths. What was needed was a fresh start and a new beginning for Irish Water and that is what we have today. We have received that new start and that ability to put certainty and affordability in place. It involves making sure people know what they are going to be charged and putting in place a properly based argument for the need for a public utility that deals with water, the need for investment in our infrastructure, the practical applications of water meters and what they can do to detect leaks and how we can incentivise people to conserve by reducing their water usage rather than penalising them for excessive water usage.

The past number of protests have been broadly attended by two groups of people. The first comprises those who would not pay for water even if it was a cent per year while the second group consists of those who had genuine concerns about affordability, ineptitude and inefficiencies and wanted a proper system in place. We will never be able to level or reason with the people who do not want to pay but what we can do is address the fears and concerns of people who are worried about whether they can afford it. The measures that have been put in place, such as a guaranteed cap until 2018 of €60 per year for a household with one person and €160 per year for a household with more than one adult, puts that certainty in place. If one works it out, that is 16 cent per day for an individual and 44 cent for any other type of household. The fact that we can say that this will be the case until 2018 and that when the meters come in, they will allow people to reduce their bills even further takes away that worry about affordability and gives people peace of mind and certainty for the future. We then need to say what our capital programme in the next number of years will be. I understand the Minister will be coming back in a few weeks time and that Irish Water will announce the projects across Ireland to take away sewage that is going into the rivers and waterways in 42 towns across the country and to replace the lead, broken, old and inefficient pipes. We will also be able to say that this public utility will be able to raise money so it will not be competing for capital funding with health, housing and so forth. It will have its own revenue stream to invest and the modest charges will be put to good use and be used practically.

The other aspect that is particularly good is the cost where we will have the cheapest water in Europe. This is another measure that can put people at ease.

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Genuine concerns were expressed by reasonable people about privatisation because they had been whipped up. They were told this was the plan, that they were being lied to and that it was going to be slipped through. We have provided for certainty in this regard. Nobody in the Dáil or the Seanad has expressed a desire to privatise Irish Water, but if people with different views make it into Government Buildings at some point in the future, they will have to hold a referendum before they can do so. We have dealt with the issue of privatisation.

PPS numbers will no longer be required and we have made the figures people will be paying affordable. The cost will be €60 for an individual and €160 for any household larger than one. We have put in place a programme of investment in order that people will know what is going to happen. I am not sure what more we can do to make it sound like a reasonable proposition into which people can buy and understand.

I am confident that in two years time we will still be dealing with those who oppose charges, regardless of what reasonable and practical arguments we make, but the vast majority of people who understand the need for investment in good water services and the crucial role water plays in our lives and the economy will be satisfied by these measures because they are certain, affordable and predictable.

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