Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is the problem about doing this on Report Stage. If it happened on Committee Stage, we could keep coming over and back and drill down to what is happening. The Minister of State confirmed what I thought was happening. The Government introduced the local property tax, which does not provide for any extra service. It is just matched by a reduction in Exchequer funding to local authorities. That part has been clear except the Government sold the property tax on the basis that there would be a range of extra services. I asked the Minister of State a specific question that is quite simple. As the Bill is written, am I correct in thinking that the €540 million is an upper ceiling and that without ever coming back into this House, the Government can reduce the subsidy to Irish Water over the next five, six or seven years if it is still in power? The consequence of this will be rapidly increasing water and sewage charges for citizens because of Irish Water's huge overheads. In respect of the Government withdrawing the €540 million, has it been given an estimate by Irish Water of the water and sewage charge it would require per house to fund its business?

I have asked the Minister of State specific questions and I expect he will give me specific answers. The real lacuna in this legislation is not the fact that the Government is giving €540 million because that is keeping the water charge down. This is temporarily keeping at least some of the money that is coming in within general taxation going to water and sewerage services. The real trick in the loop is the fact that it allows the Government to reduce this over time and the fact that if our friend, the Minister for Social Protection, also returns to power, she will be able to abolish her €100 grant to every household. The legislation is structured in such a way that the Government can do this without having to come back to this House.

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