Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

What appears to be happening now is that the entity known as Irish Water is to remain and water charges are to be suspended. The word "abolition" does not come into the argument, but that is what the majority of Deputies have a mandate for. This was a dishonest enterprise from the outset. The aim was to turn citizens into customers and to transfer €11 billion of assets to Irish Water. People quickly came to the conclusion that this was all about the privatisation of the water service. The aim was to get full cost recovery and there was little consideration for how much people had in their household budgets after the additional taxes and charges were taken out.

The last Government was a Government for the few, not for the many. The people have reacted to that and reversed it.

In the best systems in the world, one will get no better than a 20% leakage rate; it does not go below that. The cost-benefit analysis will not support digging up a street for a small quantity of water, and there are many small leaks. That is as good as one will get it. Good telemetry can achieve a great deal. Irish Water's 20-year plan was to reduce the leakage rate to 30% and yet the first county in which water meters were installed was Kildare. Before a single water meter was installed the leakage rate was 25% because there was good telemetry. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, said that the investment made in the system so far is producing results. Most of that investment, if it is not coming from the amount that was borrowed, mainly comes from the motor tax fund which formerly funded local government until property tax was introduced. The local government fund was stripped out and that has gone to Irish Water. That is how the investment is being made in the improvements.

As I said, the last Government was a Government for the few, not the many, and that is what people have concluded with regard to the people who gained as a result of the introduction of this entity. How the meter contracts were awarded or to whom they were awarded was part of that. The Cregan inquiry was set up to inquire into IBRC and the sale of Siteserv. That has stalled. Indeed, the deadline for the inquiry was extended to the end of April, which is next weekend, but there is nothing forthcoming from the Department of the Taoiseach about what will happen to the inquiry. Two legislative measures, one on privilege and one on confidentiality, must be introduced to allow that inquiry to proceed. The inquiry must proceed and I will continue to raise it at every available opportunity to ensure that it proceeds. It is also costing approximately €12,000 per week just to rent accommodation for the inquiry. The inquiry is at a standstill. A statement must be made in the House on how it will proceed because it must proceed until it comes to a conclusion.

People felt that they were being made fools of with regard to Irish Water. It was constantly raised on the doorsteps that they were being pushed beyond their ability to pay, being pauperised and that some people were gaining from this at a point when they were being asked to shoulder another burden. They railed against that. Sometimes people might not like the result of democracy, and the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, obviously does not, but the one thing about democracy is that one must respect the result. The people have spoken on this and the majority of Members of the Dáil were elected on a mandate to abolish Irish Water.

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