Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The figures do not add up. Deputy Donnelly and Deputy Shortall have made a consistent case tonight. It looks as though it will cost the State money to collect the water charge. I ask the Minister, Deputy Howlin, to tell me the difference between the cost of delivering 1,000 cubic litres of water through the 31 local authorities and the equivalent cost to Irish Water. The Minister, Deputy Kelly, did not provide us with that kind of information when dealing with the other water Bill. The central point is that there is a lacuna. There is a fundamental information deficit which I have never seen before in a piece of legislation. I agree with Deputies who said we should suspend this session until the Minister comes back to us with figures that stack up.

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