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

Eight years after the legislation to introduce water charges was passed, efforts have been made in recent days to reintroduce the charges, which were described as a high-level priority by the Department of housing. Uisce Éireann’s water charges plan 2024 describes in full how excess water charges for domestic users will work. In order to implement these water charges, Uisce Éireann would have to wait until a legal framework is put in place to give the charges effect.

In attempting to introduce water charges, the Government faced enormous opposition from the general public. The attempt to introduce this austerity measure caused great anger and resentment among the population, leading to mass protests and a refusal by many to pay charges and bills issued by Irish Water. There has been a large overspend of money on establishing the entity known as Irish Water. It cost approximately €180 million, of which €18 million was spent on consultants alone. Additionally, the nationwide water meter installation programme to install more than 1 million water meters, which began in 2013, cost a total of €539 million, which was €100 million in excess of the estimated costs. It also cost Irish Water €100,000 to rebrand itself as Uisce Éireann in 2022. These ridiculous spends would have been better used to upgrade the water infrastructure by the local authorities which previously had responsibility for water services.

The Taoiseach said recently that there would be no return to water charges. We remain to be convinced of his sincerity on this matter. Any attempt to reintroduce such charges, either overtly or through the back door, will be resisted by Sinn Féin and the people of Ireland. If the Government wants to allay the fears of the people, it should back this Bill, which would repeal the section of the Water Services Act that allows Uisce Éireann to charge domestic water service users for water.

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