Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am not against meters. I have just said that I am against the waste that means water is not used. I am not against meters. I have had a meter for 30 years. I have fitted many meters. I am saying that meters should be readily available to people so that they can see how much water they are using, just as they can do in the case of electricity. There could be a pay as you go system. I have never refused to pay for water. I paid my own water rates. I have been told that those moneys are going to come back to me. I will be able to have a bit of a party. I have a new grandchild since last week. Maybe we will have a bit of a celebration for her first birthday, although it might be her second birthday by the time we are repaid. My time is nearly gone. It is probable that the Chair will not give me any extra time to make up for the interruptions.

The jobs of the workers in the water services sections of the county councils, who were the pioneers, are now in limbo. Some of them were transferred and more of them do not know where they are. They are being bullied, threatened and intimidated. I do not hear their union saying an awful lot about this. The foot soldiers who fix the leaks in all kinds of conditions, thereby ensuring hospitals and industries etc. have water supplies, need to be protected, supported and treated with respect and dignity. They need to be given some certainty. They do not need a working group. The Government might set up another working group for the workers. There will be plenty of working groups but no one will be doing anything.

I thank the Chair for his forbearance. I think this is a farcical situation. I certainly will not be voting for this sham of a Bill. I wish the Government had accepted my Bill when I proposed it on Second Stage here. Of course it has been buried like everything else. The confidence and supply agreement is going to gush back and forwards. Some day it will gush up on top of the Government and drown half of its members.

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