Results 13,941-13,960 of 24,567 for speaker:Róisín Shortall
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: First, he needs to explain the huge discrepancy between the figure of 1.35 million households he is using-----
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: He must explain the discrepancy between his figure of 1.3 million households, the CSO figure of 1.65 million and the figure of 2 million that Irish Water is using. He needs to give us a figure for the estimated cost to the Department of Social Protection of issuing grants of €100 to every household in the country. He must tell us the administrative cost to Irish Water of invoicing...
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: A short while ago, the Minister and Minister of State indicated that if they have got the figures wrong, they will pay the extra grants. However, it is not as simple as that. If they did get the figures wrong, it has serious implications for the financial viability of this entire project.
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: Of course the so-called conservation grant must be taken into consideration. I will conclude with another question, the answer to which, if the Minister can give it, might help us. He referred to a figure of €271 million for the estimated proceeds of the charges from domestic water charges.
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: Can he tell us the number of households on which that figure is based?
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: Perhaps the Minister will have answers for us tomorrow.
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: Not charges like this.
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: People will be waiting in the long grass.
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: It is an Irish joke.
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: I thank Deputy Walsh for that clarification. I must say it was very enlightening. If he had been in the House earlier for the debate, he might have understood the difficulties for people because we have had no clarity at all from the Minister. The figure of 2,008,000 is the figure used by Irish Water. Irish Water sent out registration forms to 2,008,000 homes. That is an official figure,...
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: -----and yet the Minister is only accounting for 1.3 million households, which will be entitled to the grant.
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: There is a very substantial gap there. We are talking about a gap of between 0.35 million and 0.7 million in terms of households. We are entitled to clarification on that, which the Minister has not given us. In addition, two hours ago, a number of us asked the Minister two key questions. What is the estimated cost for Irish Water to administer the charges, that is, send out invoices,...
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: The Minister has not. Nobody accepts that he has answered the question. These are key questions. Does the Minister need them posed again?
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: The Minister should provide clarity on the number of households. Tell us how much it will cost Irish Water and tell us how much it will cost the Department of Social Protection to administer the grant. They are very clear straightforward questions. If the Minister is not in a position to answer them, which seems to be the case, then we have no option but to adjourn this. It is becoming...
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: Let us adjourn now and-----
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: Thank you.
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: It is clear that the Minister has put considerable effort into doing the political maths on this, but he has utterly failed to do his economic homework. This is very basic information. We want the figures to know whether this stacks up. A number of us have contended today that it simply does not stack up. The onus is on the Minister to prove otherwise.
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: Three key figures have been put out. Irish Water has sent notices to 2 million households. The CSO figures indicate there are 1.65 million households and the Minister is telling us 1.3 million households will be entitled to the grant. Given the Minister's figures and the CSO figures, it suggests there are 350,000 holiday homes or second homes like that of the Minister, Deputy Howlin. Can...
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: No. I do not, actually. Can the Minister give us those figures? We are entitled to them. We are getting to the point of high farce in the House. Has any regulatory impact assessment been carried out in light of the Minister's political intervention a few weeks ago when he completely changed the map involved in this? Has a regulatory impact assessment been carried out? If it has, the...
- Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2014)
Róisín Shortall: Yes, you did say that.