Results 3,141-3,160 of 20,765 for speaker:Alan Kelly

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

Alan Kelly: I know the process in the House as I have been in long enough.

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

Alan Kelly: I am pleased to bring the Bill before the Seanad today. It is good to be back in the Seanad, which is the House with the better debates, to be honest. I acknowledge that I am bringing the Bill to the House very late in the year. I very much appreciate the additional time which has been allocated and I thank everyone. We had more than 40 hours of robust debate on the Bill in the Dáil....

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

Alan Kelly: I am also aware of the proposal from the Seanad on the holding of a referendum on the ownership of Irish Water.

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

Alan Kelly: I stress that I brought this directly to the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and everyone in Government, as I said I would,. It was carefully considered, and the argument of a constitutional amendment was considered in great detail. The Government believes the wording of such an amendment would be difficult to construct given the various categories of ownership of water services infrastructure in...

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

Alan Kelly: I suggest that legislation approved by the Houses of the Oireachtas is the appropriate way to address this matter. Senators must also take into consideration that during all of this I have borne in mind the advice we received from the Attorney General. I also had to take into consideration all of the issues relating to unintended consequences of putting such a provision into the...

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

Alan Kelly: I could not agree more. As a former manager of Bord Fáilte and Fáilte Ireland, I could not agree more with Senator Norris, but from a tourism point of view that is huge. Tourism is critical to this country and we cannot continue to give that example to people. We must look forward and deal with this issue. According to last week’s EPA report on wastewater treatment in...

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

Alan Kelly: It is outrageous that this is continuing as we move into 2015.

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

Alan Kelly: I am glad the Senator agrees. It cannot be allowed to continue. Nationally, our population is increasing, and that is to be welcomed. Our economy is growing, and our climate is changing. I will return to the House in the new year to talk about that very important issue. These realities bring new demands and challenges for our water system, realities that a single national utility is best...

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

Alan Kelly: We can talk about that later.

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

Alan Kelly: It simply is not rubbish. It is equivalent to the set-up costs of Irish Water. Basic mathematics shows that the figures put in for Ringsend wastewater treatment plant was €170 million more than what is now being expended. I would encourage the Senator to go down there and speak to the people there. Greater economies of scale, which are possible through having one national utility...

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

Alan Kelly: That is okay.

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

Alan Kelly: In fairness, I am used to this House. In the area of electricity supply, a major cost in the production of water, Irish Water’s current renewable and efficient energy initiatives aim to reduce costs by 33% by 2020. In April, Irish Water became the main contact point for customer queries and reports regarding water supply outages and water quality, through its customer call centre....

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

Alan Kelly: Now the Senator's party is in opposition.

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

Alan Kelly: Thank you for pointing it out.

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

Alan Kelly: I do not know about that any more. We are not winning too many.

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

Alan Kelly: It is a Tipperary thing.

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

Alan Kelly: Hear, hear.

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

Alan Kelly: Hear, hear.

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

Alan Kelly: That is completely ridiculous. The Senator should re-watch the programme.

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

Alan Kelly: Rubbish.