Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

-----for people who do need to improve their water supply, but not in the bogus way that is proposed, which is not improving anything. One can twist this whatever where one likes. The fact is that one does not have to do anything for the grant. Any Member of this House can claim the grant, which is ludicrous. The problem with the grant is that one does not have to do anything for it. However, if it were available for a specific purpose, such as improving water supply, it would make more sense. It depends on whether the Government has this money. It must have it because it has been put into the accounts. The Government can twist and wriggle on the spit whatever way it wants with the €130 million, but the fact is that it could use the money for real water conservation or real improvements. It could actually offer a water conservation grant to save water if conditions A, B and C were met. The Government has not done that. What it is doing is dishing out the money like confetti as a carrot. Of course, the public knows that behind every carrot there is a big stick, and the stick is normally bigger than the carrot.

The question of the €540 million must be addressed. Here we go again. With the Bill before Christmas, the Government moved €500 million across onto the State's balance sheet. With this amendment, it is going to pilfer €540 million again. Is this the final step or is the door open to do this next year? Can the Minister of State confirm he will not do this next year?

See this speech in context