Results 2,241-2,260 of 5,132 for speaker:Trevor Ó Clochartaigh

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

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Hear, hear.

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

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Senator Terry Leyden has raised a number of genuine issues which are related to inability to pay, poverty proofing of legislation, etc. People will be unable to pay. Both the Minister and the Minister of State have acknowledged throughout the debate that they believe there are people who can pay, people who will not pay and people who genuinely are in a position that they will not be able...

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

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Oíche mhaith.

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

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: It is true, though.

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

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: He cannot refute the points we made.

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

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I take the bona fides of the Ministers who have spoken to us that this is not their intention but it is the intention of the hedge funds that are hovering like vultures to take over our water services. The Detroit people were in Ireland recently for the protest.

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

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I am not sure who paid for them to come here. What was important was what they had to tell us. They told us that they were the ghosts of water future in that this type of commodification has occurred in Detroit. They were warning the people of Ireland not to go down the same route. It has been stated that the reason for the introduction of water charges is to allow for future investment in...

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

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: They might not buy them initially but they will use EU legislation to argue that they should be allowed to tender to operate them. We have seen this happen in respect of a plethora of different services, including refuse collection and so on. The Minister cannot tell us and the people of Ireland that is not what is happening. If he cannot see it, he needs to engage in a little more...

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

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Tá cuid mhaith pointí déanta ach sílim go bhfuil cuid mhaith pointí eile le déanamh maidir leis an cur chuige atá ag an Rialtas maidir le costais á bhaint ó dhaoine ó thaobh uisce de. What we are seeing is the third instalment of the great Irish Water scam. The people have not been fooled by it this time, nor were they on the last two...

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

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Hear, hear.

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

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Hear, hear.

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

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Hear, hear.

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.

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?