Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have a serious difficulty with this section, which relates to what is termed the conservation grant. That term is a complete misnomer. The grant has nothing whatsoever to do with conservation. It is, in fact, a sop to try to soften the blow and obtain some kind of political acceptance in respect of these charges. Not only is the grant misnamed, it is also a very regressive measure because it will benefit rich and poor equally and takes no account of people's ability to pay. The other aspect is that people will be obliged to pay up-front charges from April of next year. However, the so-called conservation grant will not come into play until the final quarter of 2015. As the Minister stated, people will only be able to begin to apply for the conservation grant from 1 September of next year. This means it will probably be the end of 2015 before any grants are paid. People will be obliged to pay an up-front cost of either €160 or €260 and it will be the best part of a year before they receive rebates.

When the work relating to the payment process commences at the end of next year, there will be an extraordinary spectacle whereby staff and financial resources within the Department of Social Protection will be directed towards sending out a grant amounting to €100 to every household in the country. This will be done irrespective of the circumstances of the members of those households. So those who are perceived to be millionaires, exceptionally well off, the generally rich or very well-to-do will all receive grants from the Department of Social Protection - of all Departments - for no reason other than to save the Government's political skin. That is the appalling vista with which we will be faced at the end of 2015. Many Government representatives have stated that the reason for dealing with Irish Water off the books is to ensure that the company will not be obliged to compete with other services for funding. Of course it is going to be obliged to compete with them, because at the end of next year the Government is going to have to find between €130 million and €140 million to pay these grants to every household in the country. This is lunacy on a grand scale.

The Minister was asked about the cost of administering the grant. We know that a waiting period of over three months currently obtains in respect of the processing of claims relating to the carer's respite grant. Will all of the waiting times relating to social welfare payments be extended when staff resources are transferred out of various sections in the Department of Social Protection to facilitate the payment of the €100 conservation grant to every household? It is just incredible that the Government is legislating to do this. What is being done makes no sense whatsoever. The Department of Social Protection will be obliged to compete with all other Departments because it - the Government may be forced to do this in its budgetary negotiations - is going to have to find €130 million to pay the grants to which I refer. From where else is that money going to come other than out of the budgets relating to education services, health services and all the other services that are already starved of funding? What the Minister is attempting to do is absolute madness.

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