Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It has not been sold on yet. To be perfectly honest, I would rather give my PPS number to the post office, quite willingly. I hope that at the next stage, the RSA will take that on board. People gave their PPS numbers, but it has been dealt with anyway.

The privatisation issue is a red herring. If the Government wanted to sell a commercial semi-state company or a utility company, we had every reason to sell ESB Networks when it was put on the menu of options. That was the most lucrative company of all, but we decided not to sell it because we learned from what happened with Eircom.

The Government is now accused of listening, instead of being arrogant. It has addressed the four biggest concerns that were put before the people. I wish to concentrate on one particular issue, which is conservation. If its gets an opportunity to do so, Irish Water will over the next four years prove that it can save money through conservation. Metering should be a way of identifying the leaks, as has been proven in group schemes and where meters have already been installed.

If through harvesting rainwater and repairing leaks we no longer need to install a piped infrastructure to bring water from the Shannon to Dublin to augment the city's supply at a huge capital cost and with a potential environmental impact, then it will prove to have been worthwhile. The RainSafe company can undertake a non-chemical, non-chlorinated water conservation treatment whereby any water off a roof can be made potable if stored. The principle of a conservation grant should be used for that purpose.

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