Results 24,001-24,020 of 26,766 for speaker:David Cullinane

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: 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: I am sorry but I think the Minister's response raises more questions than it answers. If the Minister does not know where this is all going in the long term, then who does? He is introducing the Bill and he is charged with having that long-term vision of how all of this will work out. It is not about having a crystal ball, it is about having a vision and a policy analysis of the long-term...

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

David Cullinane: Yes but the Minister of State's point is also that Europe is putting pressure on us to introduce water charges.

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

David Cullinane: I am not disagreeing with any of that, I am just saying that is the logic of it. Their logic is that the full cost should be passed on to what they would see as the consumer and customer. We are trying to establish if the full cost also includes capital investment. The only reason why we have any capital investment from the State at this point in time is because we do not have domestic...

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

David Cullinane: Then he might be able to answer the question.

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

David Cullinane: The Minister of State did not answer the question I asked.

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: I do not support these amendments, but they raise an important question about capital projects and investment plans. Perhaps I am wrong and the Minister of State might correct me, but my understanding of commercial water rates is that they pay for the full cost of water in and water out. If it is the case that domestic users must eventually pay for the full cost, will the Government...

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

David Cullinane: I might revert on the section.

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

David Cullinane: My point is that the investment plan will be predicated upon whatever Irish Water has at its disposal to invest in capital projects. I will not go over the question of how it will decide which projects get what, but will Irish Water decide how much capital investment to make annually and will it receive a subvention? According to the figures the Minister of State has provided, central...

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

David Cullinane: I support the amendment. We have had some discussion with the Minister on this point. The section relates to the investment plans and it follows on from the water services strategic long-term plan which will be required. Irish Water will have to have regard to its strategic plan and to local authorities, the Environmental Protection Agency, regional planning guidelines and strategic...

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

David Cullinane: Not really. The amendment deals with local authority plans. My point is that this will determine the investment plan. My reading of the Bill is that the first investment plan will be after the transfer date and will be for a two-year period. Will it be yearly after that or every two years? How will that work out in terms of the investment plan?

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

David Cullinane: No, it does not answer the question I asked about the national spatial strategy. The prompting of Senator Cummins did not deal with the issue either. On page 19 of the Bill-----

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

David Cullinane: I am speaking to the Minister of State. We address our points to the Minister, not to another Senator, even if he is the Leader of the House.