Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 4:

In page 4, line 9, after "Resolution" to insert "of not fewer than two thirds of the Members".

The way in which the original Bill was drafted left it open to the Minister to cause the sale of Irish Water. There was cause for further concern in the data protection statements that were included on the Irish Water website. The first of these, for example, referred to the sale not only of Irish Water but of the PPS numbers and personal information of its customers. Of course, the Government kept on assuring us this could not possibly happen.

As a result of the most recent changes, a section containing a number of safeguards and designed to prevent a sale or to reduce the prospect of such a sale was included in the Bill. The greatest safeguard of all would be if Irish Water did not exist. The billing system being put in place is expensive and Irish Water is a very expensive quango. While I accept that there is a need to invest in water services, the last thing we need to do is put money into a massive quango. When Mr. John Tierney of Irish Water appeared before the Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht, it emerged that it is estimated that the assets being transferred to the company - the intention was to work this matter through with each local authority - are valued at €11 billion. In recent days it has become clear that the relevant liabilities will not transfer in their entirety, which means that Irish Water is a much more attractive proposition in the context of its being sold.

The intention of the amendment in my name is to include some further safeguards in the legislation. The amendments under discussion have obviously been grouped together because of the variety of different ways of preventing any sale. My amendment suggests that a two thirds majority of each House would be required to allow shares to be disposed of. I would prefer it if we were not in the position of seeking ways to amend the legislation. Irish Water has become a major problem in its own right and the current approach must be abandoned.

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