John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Only one good thing has stemmed from the introduction of water charges, namely, the awakening and politicisation of a generation of people. Hundreds of thousands of people have mobilised since Fine Gael and the Labour Party first implemented Fianna Fáil's blueprint for water charges. We have seen a coming together of progressive forces and the formation of the Right2Change movement, which has organised some of the largest demonstrations in the history of the State, one of which took place the weekend before the general election. In February, the people decided to elect more than 90 Deputies with a mandate to scrap water charges and Irish Water. They do not have a mandate to reform Irish Water or water charges, as some in Fianna Fáil would lead us to believe.

It appears some little grubby deal has been done by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, pushing the issue down the road to allow Fianna Fáil to support Deputy Enda Kenny's return as Taoiseach. Last week, 39 Deputies submitted a motion to end Irish Water and water charges. The fact that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael again colluded by preventing a vote on the motion to abolish the charges and Irish Water tells a tale. The House should have acted on the mandate it received and put the issue to bed here today, once and for all.

The State has forcefully pursued Irish Water's agenda with gardaí and private security firms in tow. Last year, across the State, more than 188 ordinary citizens were arrested for opposing the installation of water meters, some of which were being installed by companies with friends in very high places. On 14 April, 14 people were arrested in Wicklow town for peacefully protesting against the roll-out of the water metering programme, which is costing more than €540 million. At the protest, not unlike many others, more than 15 gardaí were present, acting as a private security firm for a private company. Last year, in a similar protest in Wicklow town, a force of more than 30 gardaí arrested 17 people. The irony is that due to Garda cutbacks, Wicklow town has no community garda and yet resources are being squandered to protect Denis O'Brien. Would those resources not be better spent protecting communities from the crime gangs that are terrorising and murdering people in all our communities? Would it not be better to stop raiding the limited resources local authorities have in order to hand them over to Irish Water to install meters?

The evidence indicates that the establishment of Irish Water and the introduction of water charges was more about privatisation than conservation. Water meters and charges do not encourage conservation. Investing in the water sector, reducing the unacceptably high percentage of leaks and introducing water harvesting and dual flush systems as part of building regulations would guarantee conservation. Would it not make sense to invest in infrastructure and fix the leaks that are resulting in over 40% of water being lost, rather than installing water meters that will, ultimately, become redundant?

The electorate has spoken. People have said they do not want water charges or Irish Water. We do not need a commission of experts to be established to examine issues such as alternative charging systems. A panel of experts, namely, the Irish people, has already given its report. They will not be fooled by any grubby little deal which kicks the issue of water charges down the road in order to return Deputy Enda Kenny as Taoiseach. The mandate they gave to the majority of Deputies is to totally scrap water metering, Irish Water and water charges. I ask the Minister of State to stop criminalising entire communities by stopping the roll-out of the water metering programme immediately.

See this speech in context