Results 2,741-2,760 of 26,396 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: The Minister of State has not answered them.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: It is not agreed.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: In the interests of democratic accountability it is of vital importance from our perspective that any decisions concerning Irish Water would go before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: The Bill provides that Irish Water can borrow up to €2 billion. I believe it is important that the Oireachtas would be consulted on something as fundamentally important as this, which is essentially the purpose of the amendment. I assume the Minister of State will not be accepting the amendment and would like to press it.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: While amendment No. 60 was ruled out of order, I wish to deal with the substance of it in discussing the section. Sinn Féin is opposed to the proposal to allow assets to be used as collateral by Irish Water in the event that it wishes to borrow money. In the first instance these are public assets that belong to the people of the State. If Irish Water was to borrow against assets that...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: What number?

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 63:In page 22, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following:“(c) must have support of both Houses of the Oireachtas,”.This is again about democratic oversight and accountability. No money or grants should be provided to Irish Water without the approval of both Houses of the Oireachtas. It is not good governance that the Minister would have sole...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: I support Senator Ó Clochartaigh. Regardless of one's view on water charges, we all accept that water conservation is very important. We need to do whatever we can to encourage people to conserve water. Undoubtedly we lose a considerable amount of money on water that is wasted. It is a precious resource that costs money to treat and so on. There are two ways in which one can deal...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: The Minister of State is being somewhat short-sighted in respect of the availability of grants because the logic of his remarks on water charges is they are being introduced to ensure that - as he would perceive it - people will act more responsibly in how they use water. There is a range of different reasons the Government is introducing water charges but the Minister of State has used the...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: I do not care how many times the Senator has heard it. However, Members have not received the right answer.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: I am sorry if democracy is a bore to the Senator-----

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: ----- but these points have not been raised. I am responding to-----

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: First, I do not care what Senator Keane thinks about what I am saying. I am addressing my points to the Minister of State and to him only.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: Absolutely. I will respond again to what the Minister of State said and simply am setting out the logic for his benefit. He states that he wishes to incentivise people to conserve water and use it more appropriately and that charging for it is one mechanism that will do this. This in turn will incentivise people to then invest in technologies, be they automatic taps with sensors,...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: Some of it costs money.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: I am flabbergasted by the Minister of State's response.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: My party is not talking about the simple practical measures that we are all aware of. We are talking about measures that will involve a cost and require an investment in technologies that save water. If the Minister of State is not prepared to accept that such measures are good then the legislation is not about conservation. He did not mention conserving water, glossed over it and talked...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: With respect, they are not the issues that we raised.