Pat O'Neill (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, for attending the House for the debate on this important Bill. Man cannot live on bread alone and, in the past, prisoners at their lowest ebb in solitary confinement lived on bread and water. One cannot live without water but it is one of the dearest commodities that our local authorities supply. Some 10% of Kilkenny County Council's budget is used to treat water coming into households or for treating wastewater afterwards. It is a major expenditure which I presume applies to every other local authority.

I was delighted to hear that Senator Ó Murchú is not against the charge, but he then let himself down by stating that it should be a direct charge in tax.

The Government committed in its programme for Government to not increasing income tax. The reason for this is that if one increases taxes on income people it may not pay people to continue in employment. Some 1,200 jobs per month are being created, which is a great achievement for the Government. Getting people back to work is important in the context of recovery of the economy.

Senator Ó Clochartaigh might refer his speech to his Sinn Féin colleagues in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Water charges are incorporated into the property tax applicable in the North. In some cases, people are paying up to £1,200 per annum in this regard.