Dáil debates

Wednesday, 17 December 2014

Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed)

 

11:50 am

Photo of Joan CollinsJoan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left) | Oireachtas source

The section reflects the quagmire the Government is in as it tries to get the legislation through. As local authorities anticipate the collection of commercial rates from semi-State bodies and other companies, the Minister has introduced an amendment to ensure Irish Water will not be rateable from the point of view of its assets. He said the Local Government Fund would address the funding gap. The fund comprises VAT and motor tax and it amounted to an allocation of €1.2 billion to local authorities previously to fix the water services infrastructure. The money, therefore, is just being allocated in a different way, which is a farce. The Government parties have been on the back foot on this issue for the past number of months and they have introduced legislation that means nothing. They are following the orders of the troika to introduce a charge at the minimum level of €160 and €260 annually, even though that will have a huge impact on people's lives, and a conservation grant through the Department of Finance to try to cover all angles. The Government is trying to implement the word of its masters, the troika, and make it as easy as possible to bring this in in a Trojan horse manner up to 2018, when the full cost of recovery will have to be brought in anyway.

I welcome this change because it means that when Irish Water is abolished, there will not be the complication of going to the local authorities to deal with it.

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