David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, back to the House. Senator Whelan said the Minister of State is a very sensible man, with which I agree, but it is not always necessarily the case that sensible Ministers make sensible decisions.

On the issue of the establishment of a body to deal with water supply and distribution, we would support that in principle. It is important for all of us across the parties to recognise that water is a scarce resource. We have to treat water and ensure it is of the highest standard, all of which comes at a cost. There is a need to ensure we have joined-up approaches across the State. I happen to live in south Kilkenny but I represent Waterford. That whole area has been well serviced in recent times because of the huge investment made in the water treatment services in that area. The progress is disjointed, however, and the same is not the case across the country. We spend huge amounts of money treating water but the problem, as we know, is that well over half of it is then leaked through the system, so we are treating twice as much as we use. The argument made by many is that the focus of Government should be to sort out those problems in the system.

On a small but important point in the context of the establishment of this body, the Irish language is very important and the body should be called Uisce Éireann, not Irish Water. Logos are important. We had a discussion in the House last week about the importance of the Irish language. There is no point paying lip service to the language if we then establish a national body and do not use our national language. I ask that we would give consideration to this point.

I concur with Senator Whelan that we do not need any more quangos in the State. I share all of his concerns in terms of setting up a new structure and having a new CEO, a new layer of management, new headquarters and all the costs that go with that. We need to make sure that is not what this utility becomes. It has to be about making sure we provide the very best service to people in this State.

I believe strongly the body should be in public ownership and I would completely oppose any privatisation of water services in this State. In the context of today's debate, I would have to put on the record my opposition to water charges, which I know the Government is considering. People are asking themselves fundamental questions, namely, why are they paying taxes and what are they paying them for? They are paying more PAYE, more PRSI and more in terms of the universal social charge. They are paying more in direct taxation and more in indirect taxation yet are getting less in terms of services. People are asking why, on top of all the extra taxes they have been asked to pay in recent years - as the Minister of State knows, the universal social charge has hit families very hard - and all of the cuts they are living with, more taxes are being imposed in the form of stealth taxes such as the household charge, with a property tax to come, the septic tank charge and now water charges. Surely, when we pay our taxes and pay through our income, we are paying for basic services. Water should be one of those basic services.

It is important for us to get the detail from the Minister. When he brings forward the Bill, we will seek to know exactly what the Government is proposing in terms of the composition, the management layers and whether the body will be public or privately run. I have given the Minister my view and the view of my party. First and foremost, I ask him to address the issue of the name. Some might see it as a small point but it is very important that we protect our language.

I ask the Minister to take on board the points made by people across the divide today that we do not want any more quangos. What we want is a body that will deliver the best water services for the people of this State and end the discrimination whereby some people who happen to live in certain areas must suffer. We saw what happened to water quality in the west and, although this also happened in Waterford and other areas, it seems to be worst in certain areas. While my area has experienced an improvement, not every area has had the same. We must make sure, across the country, we are getting the very best water for our people. If this can be done through a body that can co-ordinate those services across local authorities, I will support it.