Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this week's announcements about Irish Water. In a recent interview on local radio in Kildare, I stated that there were a number of different aspects to the water situation as it currently stands. I believe fundamentally in the need to establish Irish Water and have felt that the charges had to be fair, transparent and affordable overall. Any suggestion of a bonus culture within Irish Water had to be nipped in the bud if people were to gain any trust in it. I am happy that we have seen all those issues addressed this week.

On the need for Irish Water, I have not heard anybody on the other side of the House who opposes water charges say why we should stick with a system under which more than 30 local authorities were acting independently and trying to do their own thing. We do not have a good infrastructure, which shows that the system has not worked as well as it could have. We need a single utility to drive this on. If we look at the economies of scale that Irish Water is going to get in the project at Ringsend, I can only imagine the economies of scale there will be with projects like the Newbridge interceptor, which is crucial to the future development of business, industrial and residential premises within the Newbridge area. To have more than 30 local authorities going around with their own procurement systems is not an efficient way to do business. Within south Kildare, I have heard about estates from Newbridge to Kildare town and Castledermot to Rathangan that have raw sewage flowing out on their greens, footpaths, streets and areas where children play. That is not acceptable to me in 21st century Ireland. In the area of Athgarvan, some residents have been subjected to foul odours from an old and antiquated sewerage system. In recent correspondence with Irish Water, it was outlined to me what the various steps to be taken were, including the decommissioning of the old plant and construction in quarter 1 of 2015 of a new system that will take those odours away. That is a very real and substantial change that is happening because Irish Water exists. It will have a very positive impact on people's lives.

The argument has been made that we pay for water already. Businesses, farmers and private group schemes have paid for water for many years. Irish Water introduces equity so that the cost is shared. Water and wastewater infrastructure has not been able to compete under the old structure. It was competing with roads and school projects under the general taxation model, and that has failed. The roll-out of meters has already highlighted many leaks and will continue to do so. I know of a very progressive local group water scheme in south Kildare. A number of years ago it installed meters, as usage was quite high and it sought to bring down costs. Before Irish Water was ever mentioned and we found ourselves in our present situation, that group water scheme introduced meters and discovered the key locations where a great deal of water was being lost. It was the right thing to do, as it is right to install meters now.

On the issue of affordability, I welcome the easy-pay option. If a household cannot afford the €40 per quarter, or €15 per quarter for a single individual, there are options for easier payment. At a maximum cost of €3 per week or €1.15 for single households, there is still the possibility of reducing that further. If households reduce usage by 10% to 15%, they will beat the cap and get the lower rate.

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