Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has now failed to answer my question on two occasions. Many of the points he raised are relevant and can be debated. However, I want to ask my question for a third time. Will the Minister, directly through his Department or indirectly by making a request to Irish Water, assist the committee in its deliberations by providing it with information on the revenue that could be derived from a charge and what the cost of pursuing such a charge might be? Notwithstanding everything the Minister has said, it would make no sense to apply a charge for so-called excess water usage if the cost of applying that charge is greater than the revenue from it. I appreciate that this is not just about generating revenue. I understand the Minister's interpretation of the water framework directive. Taxpayers will not understand it if we propose to pursue the introduction of a charge if the cost of applying that charge is greater than the revenue from that charge. Will the Minister provide the information to which I have referred? Will he ask Irish Water to provide it to the committee? This is the third time I have asked this question. I hope I will get an answer this time.

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