Rónán Mullen (Independent)

I am rather astonished at the lack of clarity on this issue given that the debate about water and water charges began many months ago under the previous Government. There still seems to be a considerable lack of certainty about it. One thing is sure, which is that it is naive to think water must not be paid for. There are two ways in which water is already paid for, which are through group water schemes in which many of us are involved or from which we benefit, and through the fact that it costs millions to have treated drinking water in our country.

While Senator Crown is right to emphasise the importance of conservation measures, we need to link these as much as possible with the metering of water by users and payment accordingly. A number of principles are important in this. We must have regard to the specific needs of families and Senator Conway was right to mention families with disabilities. If there is to be payment per usage, it must be done in a way that acknowledges the important role of the family and the importance of looking out for children in particular. Accordingly, there must be an adjustment of the pay per user system.

As it stands, the idea of a flat tax is not acceptable. A water charge that is totally divorced from meter usage would simply be a tax masquerading as a conservation measure. Water leakages will continue unless there is an incentive for users not to waste water and for the State to put in place measures to prevent the massive wastage of water. The problem with having a State monopoly running the water supply is that it has no incentive to spend a genuinely scarce resource - capital - to save on a non-scarce resource, which is water. In the proposals hinted at by the Minister, the cost of subsidising a creaking and leaking system would simply shift from the State and ultimately it would be the taxpayer who would end up absolving the water supply network and the Government of any pressing need to spend money on repairing the system.

We need to be realistic about paying for water. It must be on the basis of metered usage. There must be a move to investment, and already there has been some investment, in curing the problem of massive leakage. Of course the money generated through metering water will contribute towards the cost of repairing our water system but there must be an acknowledgement of the importance of family life and of the specific needs of children in order that, as I stated last week, we do not get to the stage of it being Saturday night and not a child in the house washed.