Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I also wish to speak in support of the amendment as there must be a proper, working user-friendly means of resolution to disputes that will arise because disputes of course will arise. As the Minister is aware, I was completely opposed to the setting up of Irish Water in the first instance but what has happened over the past number of months with the U-turns by the Department and the Government is absolutely disgraceful. A meeting was held last week for which I am grateful and I thank those responsible for bringing in Irish Water to answer Members' questions. I appreciate that and it was helpful but during one question-and-answer session, Members discovered that the lifespan of the meters being installed will not even be ten years, regardless of whether they are used. If the meters are not going to be used it means that by the time the Government begins to use them and to charge people for the usage of water, rather than a capped amount, it will need to go to the expense of installing a second meter. In this context, people in recent days have made the point about Irish Water not making money and bringing in revenue to repair pipes. This is what this project should have been about at all times, not about metering water or accounting for water but about fixing broken pipes in the ground. The staff who were working in the water departments of local authorities knew what were the problems and where they were. However, what they need is money for investment into new infrastructure and instead of providing money to do the work on the ground, the Minister has created a monster. In the Minister's case, I acknowledge he did not create the monster; he adopted the monster. I must question the sanity of so doing, because had I the say in adopting something like this, I would have gone to some other Department. I swear that were I the Minister, I would rather have been in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or somewhere far away from this.

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