Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I support the Bill proposed by Sinn Féin and I believe we have a right to raise these issues in the Dáil Chamber. It has been claimed that the Water Services Acts of 2007 and 2013 prohibit the shareholders of Irish Water from disposing of their shares. However, we have now learned that this legislation can be changed by any Government. That is why it is important that the Government listen to Deputies on this side of the House and to the people, who are hugely concerned about the privatisation of our water. We want our water services to remain in public hands. On Tuesday evening during the Private Members' debate we were told that public ownership of water could not be enshrined in the Constitution because of property rights. However, I would remind Members on the other side of the House that there are responsibilities as well as rights associated with property. On Wednesday we were told that, just to be sure that the ownership of our water services remains in public hands, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government proposes to legislate to ensure that if any future Government sought to change this position, it would be required to put the matter before the people in a plebiscite. This is contrary to what was said on Tuesday evening - namely, that this could not be done.

It is really important to enact this legislation because the people have demanded it. The Government is supposed to be listening to the people, and it has announced its intention to set up a 60-person listening body. If such a body was set up - which I do not think would work - the first thing the Government would hear is that the public wants a referendum to ensure that our water remains in the hands of the people. The Government should take this on board, consider it carefully and bring it to the people. If the Government is really serious about calming peoples' huge concerns it would do so.

It seems that there is no end to the fiasco concerning Irish Water, water charges and the Government's handling of the issue. The Minister should take this Bill on board. He has spoken about doing something in the future but he should act now.

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