Seanad debates

Tuesday, 10 December 2013

Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage

 

7:55 pm

Photo of Brian Ó DomhnaillBrian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Somewhere along the line, society will break down because people are forced into a corner and unable to pay. We can see it happening every day of the week with banks putting serious pressure on people. The bank issue may not be relevant here but the pressure felt by families is absolutely desperate, and I know every public representative, and not just those in the Opposition, shares that view.

There is the matter of those who can afford to pay versus those who cannot. Many people living on the bread line cannot afford to pay for water. One can consider the large number of people with medical cards, and to qualify for a card the income threshold is very low. If people are living on the bread line like this, should they be asked to pay an amount for water, especially if the same is being asked of people on a salary of €150,000? Is it fair to charge the same levels in that regard? That issue is not being brought to bear in this legislation.

Where an individual can demonstrate that they cannot afford to pay a water bill, what mechanism is available for them to write to Irish Water or make an appeal, stating reasons they cannot pay? Could there be some analysis of the individual's rationale for not being able to pay? In other words, the individual should be afforded the opportunity to deal with the issue through a prescribed form on the Irish Water website, for example, or in another manner.

Something must be built in for those who genuinely cannot afford to pay for their water. I accept that under the provisions of this legislation their supply will not be cut off, but it will be reduced. I disagree with that approach for those individuals who genuinely cannot afford to pay. I accept that some people who can afford to pay will not do so, and that is a different matter entirely. However, those individuals who cannot afford to pay should not be forced to pay or be penalised in terms of supply. Some element of compassion must be built into this and the ambition regarding what Irish Water can collect should be realistic. One cannot get blood from a stone and there are people out there who simply cannot afford to pay. These are the same people who have mortgages and whom the banks have squeezed against the wall. They have no protection whatsoever. They are under pressure. We meet them every day in our own clinics. I held a clinic last night and was depressed leaving it, having heard some of the stories of my constituents. These people are now facing another charge coming down the tracks. I am not making a political point here. I hope some mechanism can be built in for those who cannot afford to pay. Perhaps an arbitration or appeals system could be set up so they can lodge an appeal, set out their reasons for not paying, show their incomes and so forth, so that their debts to Irish Water could be written off.

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