Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is a range of elements to the amendments and some of the contributions have focused on rental properties. Amendment No. 21 requires all households to register as customers of Irish Water. This is the only utility of which I am aware for which registration is a mandatory obligation. For electricity, telephone services and other utilities there is a choice. I understand why there is no choice in this instance, given that there can be only one water service. However, there is a major lack of confidence. A recent survey of organisations people distrusted put Irish Water at the top of the list. It is a big ask for people to register with a body in which they have no confidence. The lack of confidence exists for a number of reasons, not least the ham-fisted way the Government has gone about this, even for people who are in favour of water charges.

At least two pieces of legislation were brought through the House in a very flawed way. This is the third. While the Tánaiste and others can try to brazen it out, it is not the way to do business. A flawed process very often leads to a flawed outcome. If this message did not hit home in the first and second pieces of legislation, I wonder if it is hitting home in this, the third piece of legislation. There is no evidence to suggest it is.

Every household will be affected by the legislation. Households in rented accommodation will be affected more often. There is a higher level of renting now than in the past, which is set to continue given the changes in how mortgages are funded with higher deposits required which would be difficult for people provide. Included in the announced changes in local authority housing provision is a high level of private sector rental accommodation, whether by leasing, rental accommodation scheme or housing associations, which will dominate this.

The PRTB already faces a significant workload. I know of people who have been waiting longer than a year to recover deposits which were withheld erroneously. This is the biggest element of its workload. The PRTB will be taking on a more sizeable role in future given the changing nature of tenure. It will be required to deal with even more complaints due to this amendment at a time when it is already creaking at the seams. When we make this kind of change, it has the biggest impact on those who are most vulnerable to the housing market. These include people who are already struggling to pay rent. A withheld deposit or even a refusal by a previous landlord to provide a reference can make the difference in the efforts by individuals to secure accommodation. There will be unintended consequences for the more vulnerable renters, who unfortunately are an increasing cohort of society due to the precarious nature of work.

People are required to register with an entity in which they have no confidence. There are many reasons why their confidence has been dented, not least of which is the Minister's attempt to differentiate between those who will not and those who cannot pay. I have tried to find out what that means. Part of the reason why people are fearful is because they believe the monumental amounts of money required to build a first class water system will result in significant increases in water charges. Full cost recovery will put people in a parlous position. They see an organisation that appears to offer generous rewards internally. That is a significant problem.

The water charges are not seen as being presented in an honest manner. I accept that in parts of the country, including the place in which I live and represent, water supplies are on a knife edge. We urgently need to persuade people to conserve water but this system was not designed with conservation in mind. The nonsensical conservation grant gives the impression of conservation but we could save much more money if people were more responsible with their water usage. The Government is trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear with Irish Water. The Government's attempts to force people into a position where they feel they are unable to criticise that organisations will do nothing to restore confidence in it. The sooner the Government understands it has to go back to the drawing board, the better.

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