Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----is charging based on the amount of water people use because if people have to pay for the water they waste or if they use excess water, they are much more likely to conserve it than for any other reason. It is the fairest way to charge. People should pay for the water they use, just as they pay for the electricity, gas and fuel they use and the food they eat. We would never suggest that people should pay for other utilities, gas, electricity, or other essentials like food, based on their income. Nobody would suggest that - it is absurd. Of course the fairest way of paying for water is based on how much one uses. If one does not believe that, surely one should be arguing that food, shelter, gas, electricity, coal and fuel should all be paid for out of general taxation, but Sinn Féin does not argue that because it knows it does not make any sense. We all believe that we need more investment in our water network and the best way to make sure we have investment in it is to ensure that we have a system of ring fencing money for investment in our water network and water charges provide that. Without that, hospitals and schools and other public goods have to compete with water for limited capital funding. The result of that is there is not enough to go around.

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