Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is the reality and that is what we have descended to in this House. We are taking a very basic commodity, the most basic commodity one needs to sustain any sort of an existence. We want to make it safe and we want to ensure that the supply is intact, that the pipes do not leak, that the pumps work and, most important, that we can tell people who come into the country that they can hold a glass under a tap and drink safely. If that means that we have to transfer a certain portion of money, which is already being used for that purpose, into a special purpose vehicle, call it what one wants, to maintain the service, what could possibly be wrong with that if that is what it is currently being used for? The money is currently being used for that purpose. It is being used by 43 local authorities across the country who are also subsidising rural group water schemes-----

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