Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This Private Members' debate is a chance for a good proportion of elected representatives in the House to vote on whether to fulfil one of their election promises. This motion could be the last chance to abolish water charges before Fianna Fáil decides it has spent enough time swinging on the fence and brings down the Government. This motion echoes the call from the majority of our constituents. It calls on the Government to abolish household water charges and fund investment in water and sanitation infrastructure through progressive taxation, as has always been the case. This is an issue that brought tens of thousands of people out onto the streets in protest. The large crowds of people on the streets over the past two years have one clear and loud demand, namely, to abolish this unjust tax and not kick it down the road with the commission.

The fact is that an expert water commission agreed between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will not deliver on this issue. The commission's outcome has already been determined. The Government should stop this pretence of democracy and the show trials, where a 15 year old boy has been dragged before the courts on trumped up and spurious charges. Today, the Government must accept that last February, the majority of people voted to scrap water charges and abolish Irish Water. It is time to honour that decision.

The privatisation agenda that drove the setting up of Irish Water has only succeeded in placing an extra financial burden on working people, families and pensioners. They have endured bin chargers, the household tax, the increasing cost of house and car insurance, the high price of rent on homes and, on top of all that, water charges. This is about more than having to pay for a utility. Rather, it is about allowing people to survive in their daily lives. This charge was conceived by Fianna Fáil and brought to life amid quangos and incompetence by the Labour Party and Fine Gael Government.

The response to these charges has been one of mass protest and resistance. Fianna Fáil is, as usual, trying to position itself on both sides of the issue. If I was a cynical man, I would say it is biding time and postponing any decision until it can contrive to bring down the Government. We are in the position today where Fianna Fáil supports the abolition of water charges but will not support the motion to abolish them. What hypocrisy.

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