Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

None of the parties involved in this row, Fine Gael, the Labour Party or Fianna Fáil, have any right to be righteous about water wastage, as I said on Saturday. They are the parties that presided over decades of under-investment in our water system which has allowed up to 47% of expensive treated water leak away through an antiquated system of underground pipes. They have some neck. It is unbelievable.

They are also the parties who have allowed companies like Glenpatrick Spring Water under Tipperary County Council to not pay a cent for extracting water that they sell on for huge profits in the markets. This part was not allowed to be discussed in the committee because the committee was only to do with domestic water meters. They have said nothing about other companies such as Ballygowan, which pays nothing to Limerick County Council for the extraction of water that it goes on to sell on the markets, making huge profits. We do not hear the European Commissioner coming out to say that this is disgraceful and that Ireland should make sure that those who use our water and extract water from our ground should pay for the privilege. We have the European Commission pontificating about conserving water and making the polluter pay, though it has nothing to say about the fact that 40% of our treated water is being wasted in the ground, or about the companies I mentioned. It is ironic that the Minister can quote from what the Commission has to state about the principle of the polluter paying, how water meters play an instrumental role in the Water Framework Directive, etc.

However, when the Commission tells us to accept €13 billion from Apple, we say: "We cannot accept that. We will go to the courts in Europe and we will challenge that." This happens with Apple, one of the biggest companies in the world, but the Government cannot challenge what the Commissioner says in regard to water.

It was people power which enabled a Bill on public ownership in the Constitution to come before the Dáil and not be arrogantly dismissed. It will be people power that will ensure that charges, the commodification of water and water poverty will not come onto the agenda in the future.

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