Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are all from Tipperary. If we are taking away that immediate contact we had when there was a problem, I would like to think that this has been teased out. We can all draw on our local experience. I know of cases where at 15 minutes' notice the water supply could be cut off to one part of a town and delivered to another part. I want to be assured that whatever new system is introduced, somebody will take responsibility for it. We should not have to table questions in the Dáil or Seanad, but have a direct line to obtain information. I am a little worried about this. I accept that we have to make progress with the existing difficulties, but I cannot understand why we did not keep local authorities in the equation, given their experience and local knowledge. They should have been kept in the equation in a meaningful and authoritative way, so they could have responded.

I do not have a problem with water charges and believe that those who can pay should pay. The bottom line is as simple as that. I do not think we can continue to deliver services unless that is the case. I have an old-fashioned view on this, although economists and others will say that it does not work. I cannot understand why we did not have a clear increase in taxation - be it 2%, 3% or 4% - and get rid of the septic tank, water and household charges. In that way, if it was based on direct taxation or PAYE, only those who are able to pay would be paying. The argument against it is that it interferes with employment, but I do not accept that because it is a tax, whether direct or indirect.

A charge of between €100 and €300 has been mentioned for households, which is a fairly big gap. At the end of the day, water is life, although I do not mean uisce beatha. We must therefore ensure that those who cannot afford it will not be charged, or at least that they will not be made to cut back on using water to the detriment of family hygiene and general cleanliness. These issues must be considered. I am worried that some people may fall within the charging remit but will not be able to afford such an extra charge. I am not opposed to progress and am certainly not opposed to charges, but we need to have further debate as well as fine tuning the system. This is not the answer to all the problems, which is why we should tease out every issue while we have an opportunity to do so before the measure is implemented.