Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this topic. The amendment to the Water Services Act basically means that there will be a suspension of domestic water charges for the period from 1 April 2016 until 31 December 2016. This suspension can also be extended if required. During the last election campaign, I, along with my party colleagues, argued that we must have a system in place to charge for domestic water and wastewater services. I spoke on the issue of water charges in this House in April and my position has not changed.

A number of people on the opposite side of the House have campaigned exclusively on the issue of water charges. One would think that the issue of water is the only one that affects the country. It is not the issue that people who call to my clinic want to talk about. The real issues I hear raised on the doorsteps include the Government's plans for the health service; finding a solution to the housing crisis; improved funding for the education sector, in particular the Dundalk Institute of Technology; creating new and sustainable jobs; and the impact of the UK leaving the EU. These are the real issues facing people.

It is interesting to note that a survey carried out among voters in this year's general election showed that only 8% of them had indicated water as their main issue. People have told me that under no circumstances must we ever go back to the boom and bust policies of Fianna Fáil that destroyed this country. The populist position to take is to reject charging for water and wastewater services. We have seen in the past week how those who pursue populist policies run from their responsibility when they get the opportunity to act on their policies. I have no doubt that we would see the same happen here should those be given the opportunity to act on their populist policies. I would urge people to consider this when they next vote.

I want to put on record my position should it be decided that water charges are to be abolished. All people bar none who have paid their water charges should be given a full refund in the event of water charges being abolished. Under no circumstances should those people be left out of pocket because they legally paid their bills. The nine-month suspension of the charges is to allow for a process to be set up to examine the charging of water services.

An expert commission is to be established which will make recommendations on a sustainable long-term funding model for the delivery of domestic public and wastewater services. A special Oireachtas committee will then consider the recommendations and, in turn, the Oireachtas will be asked to vote on them. At this stage, my concern is that those on the opposite benches know how they are going to vote regardless of any recommendation. They have their heads stuck in the sand and do not want to see any reasonable alternative to water charges. I ask all those opposite to provide a viable alternative to a charging system for water and wastewater if they have one. Simply stating that it is to be paid out of general taxation is not a realistic position. People are tired of hearing the same old line from those in opposition. It is now time to put up or shut up. If a Member has an alternative solution, now is the time to show it to the people who voted for him or her.

We hear a lot of new politics in this Dáil. Now, we have an opportunity to see it in action. I look forward to hearing the views of those on all sides of the House when the recommendations are published. It will be interesting to see new politics in action then. What happens if the Commission and the committee both recommend that the current system or something similar should be implemented? Will those opposite vote for the good of the country or will they vote for their own personal gain?

Once again, I record my position on water charges. We should have a system of charging in place that is based on usage with a generous free allowance. We must encourage those who use the least and discourage those who waste water. If the House decides that water charges are to be abolished, all those who have been compliant and paid their water charges must get a full refund. We must not under any circumstances disadvantage those who have been legally compliant. The bottom line is that the country needs to invest over €1 billion in its public water system just to bring it up to an acceptable standard. The money has to come from somewhere. It will not just appear. I ask those who think water should be free where they think the funding is going to come from. I look forward to the findings of the expert commission which I hope will provide a way forward for a modern and reliable waste water service.

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