David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

The Senator is addressing me. People voted for change and, in fairness to Fine Gael, it was upfront during the election campaign in regard to supporting water charges. However, the Labour Party was not as upfront or purposeful before the election. It campaigned against the universal social charge, which has devastated a considerable number of families, but it appears to be prepared to support a universal water charge which will impact on the same families. I am sure the Minister viewed the recent "Prime Time Investigates" programme which vividly described the impact of austerity measures, cuts in wages and benefits for low paid workers and those who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Those of us who work in our communities are already familiar with the human face of suffering and I do not understand how further stealth taxes or water charges introduced under the guise of conservation can have a positive impact on these families. The Minister will be aware that approximately 58% of all water in the system is unaccounted for and lost. As Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh said, the Minister stated in response to parliamentary questions tabled by Sinn Féin that it would cost €500 million to install meters. Why not invest that amount in repairing the water infrastructure? That would be a much better way of spending the money rather than going after the same people over and over again.

Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill asked about Sinn Féin's alternative proposals. The water and utility charges are about collecting more taxes, not about water conservation. The genesis of the charges is the IMF-ECB deal. The Minister may smile, but he knows this is about collecting taxes. Before the general election campaign, the Labour Party, for example, supported Sinn Féin in calling for a 48% third rate of tax on all incomes in excess of €100,000, which would bring in €400 million. It abandoned that policy following the election. We also called for a 1% wealth tax on all assets valued in excess of €1 million and for all tax reliefs to be available at the standard rate of tax because that would save €1 billion. The previous Government wasted so much money and did not deal with public service waste. For example, recently it was reported that the HSE paid people twice and three times for work they did even do. Such waste needs to be eliminated; that is what the Government should be focused on.

The Taoiseach said the general election was a political revolution. Political revolution means profound change. There is no change coming form the Government. It is slavishly implementing the previous Government's policies on water charges and stealth taxes and going after the same people who have been hit over and over again. As I stated recently in the context of the JLCs, the same agenda is being pursued by the Minister's party to cut and undermine the wages of low paid workers. Every €1 he takes from the pocket of low paid families, including in his own constituency, will be taken from the tills of local retailers. That is the reality.