Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

The Bill that will be discussed tomorrow applies only to debts owed and judgments already given by the court of at least €500. This means that it will take two years of non-payment before the first of two court cases could take place. We are not hiding it from people. We are saying that if the Government remains in power and committed to water charges, court cases could begin at the end of 2017. There must be two court cases before attachment of earnings orders can be applied. We are telling people we can defeat water charges, given that, before penalties apply, apart from the conservation grant which is a con, we will have something called an election. We will have the unfortunate intrusion of democracy which has the European elites so scared as they consider the situation in Greece. In a context in which a huge number of people are not paying, there will be immense pressure on all political parties in an election and the Government after it to abolish water charges.

Fine Gael and the Labour Party abolished water charges previously and fair play to them for doing so. It was not because they wanted to do it or due to a commitment to providing a free, decent public water supply for everybody in the country but because they were forced to do it by the pressure of non-payment and pending elections. A future Government can be forced to abolish water charges and the election is the key time when it could happen. People can boycott the water charges at least until the general election with no negative consequences. Penalties will apply in July 2016. Even if, after the general election, we have a Government that is intent on sticking with the water charges, we can defeat court action. During the previous water charges battle there were hundreds, if not slightly more than 1,000, court cases to try to disconnect people's water supply. However, they did not break non-payment. The court cases became a focal point of protest and political pressure. The people were not abandoned, as some suggested, and water charges were subsequently defeated. Only a small number of people can be taken to court and if the others mobilise to defend them, this can become more of an embarrassment and point of political pressure against the Government.

We do not misinform but inform people accurately, as a result of which they are not scared. The inaccurate information from the Government, the headlines the Minister managed to get suggesting Irish Water could deduct payments from wages, social welfare payments and pensions, in the same way as the property tax, is the only thing that intimidates people. It is why we have not seen the amendments until now. The Government's aim is to keep a cloud over what is taking place, to give the lie that there is more of a threat than there is. The truth empowers people. It gives them the confidence to stand up to the bullying and scaremongering taking place.

I would like the Minister to confirm the absence of a penalty for non-registration and that if a bill is in the tenant's name, the landlord cannot dip into the deposit, in line with the process for other utility bills such as those from the ESB and Bord Gáis.

I think I had another question which the Minister might have noted.

See this speech in context