Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Why are we having this debate tonight? The reason is that water charges are just another tax on the Irish people to cover the banks and the bondholders, who we bailed out and who are bleeding us dry, and will bleed future generations of this nation dry. That is the problem.

Let us cast our minds back to Wednesday, 9 March 2011, which was my first day in this House. Recall what the Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, said that day:

We approach the [economic] crisis as an opportunity and a chance to reinvent our country and to create a new Ireland that works and is fair and honest. ... Starting today, I want to close the gap between politics and the people, between Government and the governed. The cynicism, depth of difference, gulf and remoteness of many people in our country from their Government and what it actually means became glaringly obvious during the recent election campaign. I want to renew government in people's hearts and imaginations as a true reflection of their own standards, conscience and values, such as self-awareness, compassion, integrity, respect, dignity, kindness, courage, generosity, affection, authenticity, hope and, especially. truth and trust.

I could not have written it better. They were noble, fine words. Perhaps I was a little politically naive when I first became a Member, but I thought that perhaps the actions would follow these fine words. Unfortunately, however, it did not take many months for the reality to hit me - nothing had changed. This Government continued from exactly where the last one had finished. The undertakings to listen to alternative opinions and to work with members of the Opposition were just empty promises. Rushed legislation followed rushed legislation. There was a failure by the Government to listen to and to hear opposition Deputies and, indeed, to listen to and hear people. Bad decision followed bad decision.

Then, along came the Water Services Bill and Uisce Éireann. As the drip feed of information emerged, I scratched my head and thought that surely no government could give birth to what appeared to be a totally dysfunctional entity, a quango that offered well paid jobs for the inner circle boys. I thought that no Government, Department or Minister could be so out of touch or incompetent. Despite that, I still tried to keep an open mind. That was until I and some of my colleagues met with the senior executives in Uisce Éireann. Following the usual standard presentation by the senior executives, we asked a number of questions. One of my questions was about who would pay if the meter shows that a person or family is using so much water that it indicates there is a major leak and if by a process of elimination it becomes obvious that the major leak is beneath the floor of the house, which is a concrete floor and it would cost hundreds, if not thousands, of euro to locate, fix and restore. It was a valid question, because it is something that will happen tens of thousands of times around the country.

One knows when people are bluffing; one can see it in their eyes and body language.

The answer I eventually got was that the insurance companies would pay. I contested this answer, first because not everybody would have insurance to cover the damage, second, and critically, because insurance companies will cover water leakages only if they damage the structure or contents of the building. Insurance companies are not overly concerned about the loss of treated water. When I pointed this out, the senior executive's eyes darted from right to left several times, and his body language seemed to scream silently , “Please, please, get me out of here.” He responded that he thought insurance companies covered such instances during the Thames water project in London. It was utter nonsense. I hope that during the debate my question, which I asked way back then, and to which I have not had an answer, will be answered.

It seems the Government has not yet got the message. It says it has been listening to the people who oppose the water charges. If the Government was listening, it would know the people are demanding the scrapping of the water charges, not a package to sweeten the deal. I saw no placards calling for clarification or caps on charges until after the next election.

Some specific issues must be addressed. Deputy Lawlor was right when he spoke about the difficulty people have reading the meters. One would need to be a contortionist with 20-20 vision and a magnifying glass to read them. There are also serious concerns among people who know about these things that the category of meters and casings being installed are unfit for traffic-accessible areas and will have to be replaced within a few years. Somebody on the Government side referred to the street pumps in our country towns and villages. Will Irish Water decommission them in case somebody gets free water? I object strongly when I hear people who drink water or use it to wash or maintain a clean environment being referred to as polluters. They are no such thing.

If the Government wants to restore credibility, demonstrate that it really listens to people, show it hears what people are saying and deliver on the sentiments the Taoiseach outlined on Wednesday, 9 March 2011, it will abandon this ill-conceived project, stand up to the bully boys in the European Union and go back to the drawing board. If the Government does not do so, it may watch the tens of thousands of Irish people who will make their feelings known at lunch time next Wednesday. By Thursday, the Government will know it should have listened to the people and to the concerns from this side of the Dáil.

The plebiscite the Government announced is smoke and mirrors. We proposed a referendum that would enshrine in the Constitution a guarantee that water would remain in public ownership. The only possible explanation for the Government's refusal to accept the proposal is that it wants to leave open the potential for privatisation at some future time. All it would take to change the legislation would be a Government majority vote. A plebiscite would not be required. It takes a referendum of the people to change the Constitution, and I trust the people more than I trust any politician.

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