Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

That is outrageous discrimination against local authority tenants. The Minister stated that they could have money stolen from them to pay a tax they do not want to pay, a tax that they are boycotting, together, potentially, with the majority of the population. The Minister has stated, however, that councils should increase their rent to take the money for this charge off them.

Will he comment on the threat of eviction? If local authority tenants do not pay the increased rent that will potentially be imposed on them as a result of these water charges, will they be evicted? Will people be thrown out of their homes for refusing to pay water charges? How do the councils feel about being made into debt collectors for Irish Water? It is clear the Minister has problems with private landlords who do not want to be made into debt collectors. How come measures dealing with these points are not included in the water Bill to come before the House this week? Is it because he is rightly concerned about the reaction it will provoke? If people knew local authority tenants could face eviction for not paying water charges, tens of thousands of people, even more, would flood the streets on 10 December in opposition to this draconian scaremongering measure.

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