Results 23,001-23,020 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: -----over the next five months, so can we please deal with the issues-----
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: -----that these two amendments deal with. The first amendment-----
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: In regard to amendment No. 8, what is being proposed here is that the committee could not be set up before the enactment of the Bill. It is up to the House how and when to set that committee up and the composition of it. There is plenty of time to do that and it is catered for in the legislation by referring to a committee set up by the Houses of the Oireachtas. Amendment No. 8 is,...
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: This legislation will be considered and passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas. A committee will look into all of the issues around water and all of the controversy and politics as well as what we are required to do under the obligations we have both nationally and internationally and all that complexity. If we are going to make decisions that have credibility, they need to have...
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: I think we are more than able to set up a committee that represents both Houses of the Oireachtas to be able to make an informed choice.
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: It is going to be.
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: The Deputy is mixing up the commission and the committee.
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: The committee the Deputy refers to-----
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: It is a pretty dangerous thing to misrepresent the Commissioner.
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: The Deputy is.
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: That is not what the Deputy said.
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: The commission.
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: We are in round 2 then.
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: We are representative of water customers.
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: Yes, it can.
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: I am keen to get some guidance from you, Acting Chairman. Do you want me to answer the questions on the Bill in general or do you want me to address the two amendments only? The vast majority of questions I have been asked are general.
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: If we can facilitate concluding this evening, I will try to run through some of the questions asked. Then we can make a decision on the amendments. I will try to do so quickly because otherwise will be back again dealing with this issue and there are only two amendments classified as being in order. A question was asked about conservation grants for rainwater harvesting and so on. When...
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: The terms of reference of the expert commission certainly include water conservation. The membership of the expert commission is not a stacked deck of cards. We have probably the lead expert on water from the Environmental Directorate of the OECD. We have the chair of the customer forum in Scottish Water, representing-----
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: ----- customers and their concerns. We have the chair of the utility in Northern Ireland. We have the chair of the National Federation of Group Water Schemes. We have an environmental lawyer. We have an environmental economist with a speciality in water. These people are experts who-----
- Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jul 2016)
Simon Coveney: They are not necessarily in favour of water charges. I am not making a judgment on what they should recommend. We have broad terms of reference allowing them to consider all the issues on how Ireland pays for domestic water supply and wastewater treatment in the future. Should it be through general taxation? Should it be through a charging system that has full cost recovery? Should it be...