Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy; I want his comment noted. The Government did not lie to anyone. The agenda is not privatisation which essentially will become impossible following the enactment of the Bill, if that is the decision of both Houses. I did not rule any amendment out of order as that is not my job as a Minister. I believe in water charges, but the Bill does not provide for them. It is the intention of the Bill that there will not be any additional funding stream from the excessive use charge. We want to tackle the 8% of users who are responsible for 30% of water use. That is the purpose of the Bill. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett stated the Bill did not include conservation measures, when it is, in essence, a conservation measure. We are trying to achieve certainty for consumers of water and ensure we will have a modern and robust water infrastructure for citizens.

To address Deputy Catherine Murphy's question, the metering will be done in line with the recommendations of the joint committee. In terms of cost effectiveness, how this will operate and the cost recovery model, all of these matters will be examined by the new Commission for Energy Regulation, namely, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. Its role will be to make sure the system is in line with the Irish Water business plan following the policy statement from my office. That work will commence once the Bill has been enacted.

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