Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Joan Collins for raising this issue. I acknowledge and appreciate her dedication and commitment to ensuring that our waters services must always remain in public ownership. At the outset I say clearly and emphatically that the Government is committed to holding a referendum on water and it has already outlined its approach to achieving this. On 24 June 2022, a framework for the future delivery of water services was identified with unions at the Workplace Relations Commission. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage also hosted parallel engagement with unions on a number of policy matters of relevance to workers in the context of the overall water transformation programme, including a referendum on water ownership.

A paper entitled Irish Water Transformation - the Wider Policy Context was shared with unions on 18 July 2022 to reflect the engagement outcomes. The framework document and the wider policy context paper are available to Members in the Oireachtas Library. In the context of the engagement on the referendum, it was noted that public ownership of the water services system, reflecting the clear will of the Irish people, is firmly established as a core principle attaching to delivery of water services. Over the years, this principle has been reflected and strengthened in legislation governing the development and delivery of water services. Arrangements for the enduring public ownership of Uisce Éireann are already firmly secured under the Water Services Acts 2007 to 2022, whereby all shares of Uisce Éireann are vested in the Ministers for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, with both Ministers being prevented by law from alienating their shares.

Engagement with unions on the referendum question focused specifically on how the principle of public ownership may be strengthened through a constitutional referendum. A range of approaches to addressing State ownership of water services had received prior consideration by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General in the context of the Thirty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution (Water in Public Ownership) (No. 2) Bill 2016 brought forward by Deputy Joan Collins as a Private Members' Bill and currently before the Dáil.

An approach based on protecting the public ownership of the entity established under law to provide public water services has been identified as the most appropriate and straightforward approach. An important consideration in planning for a successful referendum is the need to ensure proper public engagement. Noting that the commission on housing has been specifically tasked with advising the Government on a referendum to place the right to housing in the Constitution, I understand that the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien's, preferred approach is to advance consideration of the constitutional issues on the rights to housing and protection for the supply of public water at the same time.

Having consulted with his Government colleagues, the Minister has signalled his willingness to support a referendum on public ownership along these lines. The Minister set out his planned approach in the Irish Water Transformation - Wider Policy Context paper shared with unions, as laid before the House, and this plan remains on course. The Minister will therefore bring detailed proposals to Government on a constitutional amendment to address water ownership in conjunction with the anticipated referendum proposal on housing on its receipt from the housing commission. It is understood that the housing commission will be in a position to present its report on the housing referendum in the near future. In this way, it is intended that definitive proposals, including timelines, for referendums on water and housing will be considered by Government in the near future.

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