Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I wish to share time with Deputies Seamus Healy and Eamon Ryan.

The issue of water has dominated the political agenda for the past number of years, not just because of the injustice of the charge and how it was couched but because of the very dishonest way it was implemented. I have said repeatedly in the House that this is not just about water. There are many reasons for the unrest. One of the major issues was the view that there was a group of people that appeared to be a golden circle and benefitted from the hardship imposed on ordinary citizens.

At the heart of that view was a mistrust of the Government. For example, there are still unanswered questions about the water meters contract. The ongoing Cregan investigation into Siteserv is a case in point. We have only recently learned that there will not be an interim report and the earliest report we will receive is the final report in December next year.

The fear that some very powerful individuals may be waiting in the long grass for the opportunity to gain control of any entity responsible for water in this country is very real. People have feared that from the word go. I am sure we can recall the Irish Water marketing strategy and a certain individual who constantly referred to us as customers. Essentially, people felt they were being turned from citizens into customers and an entitlement or right was being turned into a commodity.

A fudge is not enough. People need to know that their water supply, that most fundamental of requirements, will not at any stage in the future find its way into the hands of a golden circle which is privy to comfortable deals and inside tracks. Reassuring people that water will forever more remain in public ownership is a demand that the Government cannot and should not ignore.

I note the Bill is not being opposed.

However, we need to have a clear commitment that this will not end up buried in a committee and that there will be a referendum. People will be very angry if this is a way of massaging the situation and moving it into a space where the Government does not have to deal with it. That is critically important.

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