Results 2,861-2,880 of 5,132 for speaker:Trevor Ó Clochartaigh

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Guím gach dea-ghuí ar an gCathaoirleach agus ar Cheannaire an Tí, ar mo chomhghleacaithe anseo agus ar an bhfoireann atá tar éis freastal thar barr orainn ar feadh na bliana. Go dté siad slán i mbliana. I wish everyone the good wishes of the season and thank the staff and Cathaoirleach. I note that the Samaritans brought us back to earth with a bang when...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: There must be an election in the offing.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I second the amendment. Tá áthas orm bheith in ann labhairt ar an rún agus ar an leasú áirithe seo atáimíd á chur chun cinn. Sílim go bhfuil an tábhacht a bhaineann le seo léirithe go rí-shoiléir ag mo chomhghleacaí, an Seanadóir Cullinane. I have been listening to the debate most of the day and I note some very...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Local authority members also elect Senators.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Tá fáilte romhat, a tAire Stáit. I had a sense that it was Groundhog Day during the debate tonight and in previous debates on the earlier Water Services Bills because the rhetoric was similar. When Members of the Opposition raised concerns and issues about the Bill, the Government replied by saying, "Trust us; there is not going to be an issue with charges." There are huge...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I am doing so. The amendment seeks to push out the date when this tax will be imposed on the woman about whom I have talked. That is why I support the proposal to introduce the charges only when all meters have been installed. I also propose that we stop installing meters because there is a better way to measure water usage.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: This is only my second contribution today, if the Senator does not mind.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Thank you very much, a Chathaoirligh. I think the issue of people's ability to pay has not been grasped by the Government. I suggest that if it pushes this Bill through, it will see an escalation of the campaign of peaceful protests in housing estates across the country against the installation of water meters. That will work against the Government's hope that people will back down and...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Once again, what we are seeing is like a bad Hollywood comedy. The Water Services Bill parts one, two and three are all a shambles and have not been thought through. The logic behind metering does not stand up to scrutiny, as we are seeing here. I take a similar reading to Senator Healy Eames from what the Minister of State said. It struck me as rather strange logic for the Minister of...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: But how can we measure it?

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: It does not seem to make sense. The Minister of State made a point about metering. He argued that metering should be brought in as a conservation measure. I have a question about district metering and how much thought has been put into that. Surely that would be a far more cost-effective way of dealing with the issue of water conservation and the amount of water that is being lost....

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: It is a valid point because, with the technology available, if we had district metering, we could see how much water is being used and whether it is going astray. Furthermore, we could use the technology to find out whether there are leaks along the system - for example, in a given cluster of houses. Surely that would be a far more cost-effective way of installing the metering system. That...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I agree with the amendment. We should not charge people until after the meters are put in place. Moreover, we should delay putting the meters in as well.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: In the example the Minister of State used where people are conserving water and under-uses water, they will receive a rebate. Will they receive such a rebate every year for conserving water?

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: District metering is another mechanism for conserving water but the Minister of State danced deftly away from my question in that regard.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: The Minister of State brought it up. His logic for bringing in the metering was that it was a water conservation measure and meters had to be installed throughout the country to enable this type of conservation. I do not agree with that. He is incorrect. District metering could be introduced. I know from dealing with Irish Water on a number of local issues that it has reviewed every...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: It is absolutely something to do with this.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: This about the water metering and the logic has------

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: The Minster of State's logic is that he does not want district metering because he needs the money to invest. He also used the logic that as soon as the meters are in, Irish Water will be in a much better position to raise money internationally through investors.