Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I firmly believe in the concept of paying for water. I also believe that Irish Water should be retained, as our country drastically needs a single entity that will remain in full public ownership, in order to invest and upgrade our broken water system after many years of neglect. Over the past two years, Sinn Féin and others have continually called for the abolition of water charges and for the abolition of Irish Water. Yet, to date I have not heard of any concrete proposals from them as to how they want to achieve the much needed improvements to our water infrastructure. They have repeatedly called for its abolition despite the notable improvements already being made by Irish Water. For example, to date, Irish Water has removed over 17,000 people from long-term boil notices nationwide, which the localised system which preceded it, failed to address. It has increased investment in our water infrastructure by 83% since 2013 when local authorities were spending only €300 million on water. In 2016, Irish Water will spend over €550 million on upgrading our water and wastewater networks. It has repaired over 500 km of the worst water mains in the country. Through the introduction of water meters, it has saved 34 million litres of water every day since works commenced while also identifying a further 80 million litres which can be conserved. It has identified and developed the national lead strategy which aims to assist and protect 38,000 homes with lead pipes. These are just a few key examples of the positive work that Irish Water is currently undertaking, of which there are many. Will Sinn Féin and others explain to the House how the country will set about fixing our dangerously outdated water infrastructure without such a public entity? It is estimated that between 2016 and 2021, some €1.6 billion will be needed to develop infrastructure in absence of water charges. Where will the money come from if there are no nominal charges?

See this speech in context