Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Last night Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael voted against permanently banning water charges. If the Government does not have an intention of introducing water charges, why does it feel the need to cling on to the power to do so? Why does it continue to hold the power to do so within its grasp? Irish households pay for water charges through general taxation. The amount of water used is comparable to countries that have metered charges, so the conservation argument does not hold. This Government is seeking to cling to the power for double taxation. This is double taxation is to address the fact that the Government is underfunding Uisce Éireann and to account for its failed stewardship of our water services and infrastructure.

On top of general taxation, ordinary workers and families pay additional taxes on services that should also be public services such as road tolls and rubbish collection. In instances where public infrastructure has been privatised, they have the privilege of paying for companies like Eir, which, in the face of a crisis such as Storm Éowyn, leave people without service for weeks and months on end. Irish families cannot bear the brunt of bailing out the Government's failed stewardship of Irish water services and their infrastructure. Last night the Government made its intentions clear when it opposed Sinn Féin's Bill to remove the key to levy water charges. The very least the Government can do is commit to adequately fund Uisce Éireann so that people can, once and for all, actually have the water services they are entitled to.

In the area in which I live in County Monaghan, in villages such as Scotstown, Ballinode and Smithborough, hard water is a genuine issue. As other TDs have done today, I ask that water softeners be installed at source to alleviate the problem. As former TDs have said, this is a real issue that needs redress, and all households should be treated equally.

See this speech in context