Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate and I am delighted that we have an opportunity to discuss it in the House because it has been discussed outside the House for many weeks. It is widely accepted, at least among the people I talk to on a daily basis, that a process is now underway for the ending of water charges. I think this is the right decision and a welcome one.

The water policy undertaken by the previous Government was a failed policy. It may have been established for good reasons, namely, to invest in the infrastructure that was so badly needed, improve the delivery systems that were needed and ensure we had water quality that was fit for purpose and that we had a wastewater management system that met the needs of a modern society. Those were all fine principles upon which to try to resolve the problem but the edifice that emerged from the last Government was ill-conceived and poorly thought out and lost the confidence of the Irish people right from the start. For me, the fateful interview by the chief executive of Irish Water on "Today with Sean O'Rourke" signalled the death knell of Irish Water as it was. This was because the establishment of the company under the auspices of Bord Gáis was done on the basis that costs could be reduced and very considerable savings could be made because of the knowledge that already existed in that entity. Unfortunately, this did not come to pass and we found ourselves with an extremely expensive establishment cost, poor reporting structures, poor formation and a rush to get the project up and running without really focusing on what was being delivered, which was what the public wanted.

Once that confidence had been lost, it was appropriate that somebody would try to resolve it. I am delighted to be part of a Fianna Fáil parliamentary party that through its negotiations in the aftermath of the inconclusive general election of February 2016 secured the ending of the failed water policy of the previous Government. It was hard fought for but the outcome was successful and we now have a process that will lead to the end of water charges and the reshaping of water policy that has the potential to deliver on the investment that is needed, the upgrade of the water delivery system and the infrastructure that is needed to treat our wastewater and to ensure that future generations have a water delivery system and a wastewater management system that are fit for purpose. Much had been said by previous Ministers about the necessity to secure investment from the markets so that we could move more quickly in terms of the roll out of the water infrastructure to ensure we are in a position to attract foreign investment and much-needed jobs because US companies depend so much on certainty in respect of where they invest. Unfortunately, that did not come to pass when the system that was put in place did not meet the EUROSTAT test. It is right and fitting that the process that is now underway is the appropriate one.

I do not want to be overly political about this but it would be remiss of me not to refer to the Sinn Féin motion. I know that Sinn Féin is not entirely happy that Fianna Fáil in opposition has achieved so much in the past couple of weeks. We have put that process in place and I can understand that this might be the basis of Sinn Féin's ill-conceived motion but it is welcome. It is good to have a debate and an opportunity to talk about it and remind the voters. I point out to Deputy Louise O'Reilly that to some extent, it is not the first time that Sinn Féin has been behind the eight ball on this. Deputy Ó Broin will know more about it than anyone because in respect of his effort get elected in Dublin South-West in light of the work of Deputy Paul Murphy, his arrival in this House was impeded significantly and as a result, Sinn Féin, rightly, changed its policy.

That is to be welcomed because there is now a greater number of us in the House who are against the failed policy of the last Parliament.

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