Dáil debates

Wednesday, 27 April 2016

10:45 am

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Eight weeks and four days on, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have agreed to allow statements this afternoon, without a vote, on the issue of water charges. That is not good enough. Fianna Fáil in its manifesto clearly called for the abolition of Irish Water and the scrapping of water charges and that is the mandate to which it should be true. The Dáil should be allowed to vote on the motion before it which has been tabled by 39 Deputies. It reflects the mandate of the majority of Deputies in this Chamber, but we are being denied that right because it appears that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have concocted a fudge to push the issue up the road in order that Fianna Fáil can support Deputy Enda Kenny being returned as Taoiseach. If we dealt with the water charges issue today and voted on it, we might lose it, which would be fair enough, but if everybody was true to his or her mandate, we would win it and the issue would then be done and dusted. The two parties could then go back and deal with the other issues without having this one bearing down on people in perpetuity. I appeal to the two parties which have blocked any meaningful debate on this issue since we returned and make the case which I have made consistently that this Chamber is an independent legislator. It is not an arm of government or Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. The Taoiseach and Deputy Micheál Martin should do the decent thing and let the Dáil debate and vote on the issue, something we are entitled and which we are mandated to do.

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