Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We are very confident that the Irish people will work with us on the plan that has been announced. I was pretty disappointed that I did not see Deputy Paul Murphy in Killarney last weekend. Perhaps he was outside but we could not see him among the 400 to 500 people who were there. The reality is that people are signing up to Irish Water. We are very happy with the volume of people signing up and additional people are signing up all the time.

I am amazed at Deputy Paul Murphy's stance. He believes in the right to water but I challenge him on the right to water for future generations, for my children and everyone else's children, who are and will be in this country in the coming 100 years, in terms of how they will get water. The Deputy also has a very mixed view of who should pay for water. I will put a question to Deputy Murphy. Has he met with the National Federation of Group Water Schemes of Ireland which has been providing water for the past 60 to 70 years? Has the Deputy been to Lissycasey in Clare where 1,100 houses are provided with water? Has he been to Callow in Mayo where there are 1,200 houses in a group water scheme, or to the Erne Valley in Cavan or Claremorris in Kerry where 1,250 houses are in a group water scheme. They have been paying for water. Why is Deputy Murphy not protesting outside their homes and their schemes on the basis that they have been paying for water for many years or does he need me to give him directions past the Red Cow?

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