Results 3,701-3,720 of 26,396 for speaker:David Cullinane
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: This section deals with the introduction of charges. While a considerable proportion of the population have a difficulty with the ownership of water, I accept that there are people who have no difficulty paying water charges. However, a significant number of people have a difficulty with the notion of paying a second time, or else they simply cannot afford to pay. I was chastised earlier...
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: This is why I refer to Groundhog Day. The Senators opposite do not have to agree with me, but people are e-mailing us in their thousands, and I have a responsibility to articulate their concerns to the Minister. This is the section in which these concerns can be addressed. The Minister and other Senators may respond if they wish, but we should at least be allowed to make our point. I...
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: The Government then capped the charge. We spent a long time on our feet debating this with the previous Ministers, Deputies Hogan and O'Dowd, and they told us then that the central issue was water conservation because we were wasting too much water. They said what we needed was a system where we had water meters and people would pay for usage. They said there would only be one year of a...
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: That is exactly the point. We had a derogation from the EU Water Framework Directive, but of course this Government is setting that aside completely and going ahead with its plan to charge.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: The point is that the thrust of European policy, what they want, is polluter pays, full cost recovery. In time, that is where this is going to go and people know that. That is why people are not going to be fooled or bribed into the principle of it. Once they buy into it and start paying it will go up and up. Once that does happen, and this goes right to the heart of the Sinn Féin...
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: I am sure that if I do not give an alternative before I sit down, the Government Senators will be screaming that I spent ten minutes or less critiquing the Bill and the charges without putting forward any alternative. We did put forward an alternative in our alternative budget this year. I will not go over the details of it but I am quite happy to give the Minister a copy if he has not...
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: The ESRI report on the last budget said the top 40% of earners benefited from it and the bottom 60% did not. They suffered disproportionately. The reason they gave was the water charges.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: The top rate of tax was cut, which obviously benefited the higher earners, but the water charges negated any saving that would be made by those at the bottom. That is an independent report, it is not from me or from Sinn Féin. There is no doubt that we have increased inequality. For me, that is the price of being in government. I would hope that if Sinn Féin was ever in...
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: That to me would be the sole motivation for going into government. I will be opposing section 3. I will listen to what the Minister has to say. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his indulgence because it is important that we put on the record our opposition to these charges and the reasons we are opposed to them, and that we give expression to the anger and concerns that are out there and put...
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: Hear, hear.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: That is irrelevant.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: Hear, hear.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: I welcome Senator Whelan to the debate.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: Absolutely.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: Hear, hear.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: The Sinn Féin website.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: That document has been mentioned five times today but I have not seen it at all. Does the Senator have it?
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: Where is it?
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: This famous document was mentioned five times but I have not seen it at all.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: That is political point-scoring and has nothing to do with the section at all.