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

Ba mhaith liom a rá go bhfuilimid i gcoinne an Bhille seo. This legislation is another debacle in the long and sorry water charges saga. As we all remember and Fianna Fáil would like us to forget, the water charges fiasco began with it and its inability to stand up to the troika. It accepted almost every ridiculous, divisive and debilitating demand from it. It agreed to impose water charges at its request. The demand for such charges was a clear commentary on the atrocious legacy of successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments in under-funding vital utilities like water services.

Up until now, most of the narrative around the justification for the establishment of Irish Water involved blaming local authorities for the condition of the country's water infrastructure. It is unfair to blame local authorities entirely for the issues that have bedevilled the provision of water for Irish households and businesses. Many local authorities did Trojan work to maintain the water infrastructure and provide clean drinkable water for houses, even though they were restricted by under-investment by central government.

Previous Governments, just like the current Government, could have used additional targeted funding to provide for the additional capital infrastructure required to improve and upgrade water infrastructure. We can imagine what could have been accomplished if the enormous sums spent on consultants to Irish Water and the hugely expensive water metering project had been allocated for investment in the maintenance and upgrading of water infrastructure. The establishment of Irish Water and the transfer of assets and personnel from local authorities were other huge costs which could have been avoided and should never have happened.

Sinn Féin and the Executive in the North ensured a major package was made available in the North for investment in water infrastructure. Such investment meant there was no need to introduce water charges in the North. On the other hand, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were clearly committed to the introduction of water charges in the South. This was demonstrated by Fianna Fáil in its agreement with the troika and by Fine Gael in its manifesto commitments. The tens of thousands of people who came onto the streets to oppose water charges clearly showed that these parties were on the wrong side of history and what was right. Have they not learned anything?

The Bill before the House raises a number of concerns. I am concerned about what it says and does not say. As I will set out shortly, there is a lack of clarity on some important issues. I am concerned that this complex legislation is being rushed through the Dáil without proper scrutiny. The wording of the Bill seems to disregard some of the recommendations made by the special commission on water. There are no references in the legislation to some of the key recommendations made in the committee's report. The Bill does not refer to the conservation measures recommended by the commission.

I am concerned about how the Government will decide to calculate what it regards as "excessive use" and about the allowance that will be available to households. The way the Bill is framed raises a real concern that over time, the Government will reduce the allowance and the threshold for it. The Bill makes provision for the recalculation of the threshold amount. I am concerned that the multiplier to be used in calculating the threshold amount cannot exceed 1.7. I envisage a real difficulty as a consequence of the restrictive nature of the ministerial powers set out in the Bill. It seems that the Minister will have the power to reduce the threshold amount multiplier from 1.7 but not to increase it above 1.7. There is a real possibility that households could be paying significantly higher amounts after five years for usage regarded as being above the allowance determined by the Minister in reducing the threshold. It can be argued that the effect of this is to leave the door open for a return to water charges by stealth in the future. Is the Government being mischievous or duplicitous in restricting the Minister's powers in this respect? I suggest the legislation has been framed to allow a future Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael Government to increase charges.

The Bill does not make a distinction based on the number of people in a household. A household can have three or four children or teenagers. It would not be beyond one's imagination to deduce that a household with three or four children or teenagers could reasonably use significantly more water. A family could be severely disadvantaged if its allowance does not reflect the everyday realities of having a house full of young children or teenagers. They could pay heavily for any imbalance in the perception of what constitutes an ordinary household. Families will also be penalised as a result of the decision to base charges on household usage rather than on individual usage. The related problem of how to tell how much water a household is actually using arises in this context. Certain households are metered, while others are not. Given that just 42% of households have meters, how can the Government determine the average household's use of water? I am not arguing for the metering of houses but pointing to a flaw in the logic behind the Bill. One cannot get a true or accurate average figure with limited information. The skewed average figure the Government will work out could adversely affect a household's threshold and allowance.

Fianna Fáil and the Government are happy to accept the false idea of excessive water usage. I would like to see evidence of the level of water wastage about which Fianna Fáil and the Government speak. I do not believe they have evidence of water wastage. It simply does not happen. Irish Water's figures show that the level of Irish household water consumption is one of the lowest in the OECD, but what did logic and data matter when Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were determined to introduce water charges? The sad fact is that they did not have to introduce them. Ireland's exemption in the water services directive could have got them off the hook. If they had wanted to do so, they could have funded water charges directly from general taxation. I remind the House that in the American city of Detroit water was used to put people out of their homes. It is like the new gold in the way it is being used.

There is no doubt that people power forced the Government to backtrack on some of its more excessive ideas about water charges. I was a member of a local authority when bin charges were introduced with the support of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael which looked for waivers for senior citizens. Where are these waivers now? Where are the promises politicians make? The problem is that politicians come and go but the rules change. What is the reason for the fear of a referendum to keep water services in public ownership? Surely that would send a strong message that the Government has never intended to privatise water services. Many people think differently.

Táimid i gcoinne an Bhille seo. Tá imní orainn go bhfuil táillí uisce ag teacht isteach tríd an gcúldhoras.

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