Terry Brennan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat a Leas-Chathaoirligh agus fearaim fáilte roimh an Aire ar ais go dtí an tSeanad. Is é mo thuairim gurb é Uisce Éireann an t-ainm ar cheart a chur ar an gcomhlucht.

Measuring water consumption by metering is without doubt the fairest way to charge people for a very valuable asset. One pays on the basis of the exact usage. Those who use the most water will obviously pay more.

Other Senators have mentioned that it will identify the locations of serious leaks in fields or farms and people will soon want to know why their water charges are so exorbitant. Mary Jo down the road with a house and family of the same size will discover leaks. I previously worked in the ESB and customers were given every opportunity to pay outstanding bills such as by means of deferred payments. Disconnection was regarded as a last resort. One can do without electricity by using a gas cooker or a Tilly lamp but one will not put up with this for too long. However, what will happen when a householder fails to pay the metered charge for water? I can envisage a house without an electricity supply, but I cannot envisage a household without a water supply for any length of time. Is it a case of going back to having a well or a toilet at the bottom of the garden? It costs ¤1 a day for the average household, which is great value for money. This is great value for a commodity that takes an amount of money to produce.

The point about refusing access to the property to the person installing a water meter was referred to by Senator Denis Landy. Is there wayleave to install a meter on private property? I understand the fine for barring access could amount to ¤5,000. I hope this will not arise too frequently.