Joe O'Toole (Independent)

On these benches we tend to have problems with motions which begin by condemning the Government, and we equally have problems with amendments that begin by commending the Government. We must travel a steady line between the two positions.

With regard to the motion before us, I do not feel strongly about condemning the Government but every other element of the motion is positive and must be examined. Neither do I believe there is anything commendable about the Government's response. We could easily have had a plan in place to deal with all that happened in the last couple of months but it would have meant diverting budgets. For anybody in a local authority who had the options of either fixing a road this year or putting material aside to deal with something that might happen once every 40 years, the choice would have been very easy. I do not blame local authority members for getting it wrong on this occasion. I do not believe I would have done better.

There is an important issue to be raised. Senator Cannon is absolutely correct in implying there is no joined-up government if on the one hand the high-level group on green enterprise produces a report, signed by both the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, who say the Government will act upon it swiftly and decisively, while on the other hand the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government states in the House he is bemused by the proposal to establish a national water authority. The House deserves an answer on this. In welcoming the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, to the House, I do not expect him to have an answer; he is sitting here to take the flak. Somebody must explain how different views can be held by three Ministers, two of whom are from the same party.

We must have learned that the legislation referred to by Senator Callely, which gives 32 different local authorities responsibility, is just not working. There needs to be a national authority with a national policy that can be implemented locally by local authorities. There is no other way to deal with the matter.

Consider the point made by Senators on water harvesting. I spoke today with representatives of Sustainable Energy Ireland and asked why there is no requirement in the building regulations stipulating that every house built in Ireland should have some form of renewable energy resource. I was told this can be achieved under current legislation and that it is only a matter of ensuring it is done. Most people are getting away by installing devices such as wood pellet boilers. This is one of the wettest countries in Europe and we all have roofs on our houses. Twenty-six inches of water fall every year on my house in Dublin. It is expensive to retrofit water-harvesting devices. Rainwater could certainly be used for all toilets in houses. There would be a huge saving.

It has reached the stage where engineers around the country do not quite know where are the water mains. I spoke to one who told me there was a serious problem that could only be rectified by asking a very elderly retired engineer in an old people's home the direction of one of the main pipelines in the county. The local authority did not know.

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government stated the current severe weather episodes have identified a number of weaknesses in our water service infrastructure. That is not true because we have known about these weaknesses. The Dublin and Cork local authorities have been referring to the wastage of water for years. Nothing new has been identified. We need an honest debate in the Houses on water charges. The charge would not be for water but for the delivery, provision or piping of water.