David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

If the Senators wish to have a debate on the North of Ireland on any aspect of what happens in the North, let us have that debate. We have called for such a debate on several occasions but the Leader has not arranged it. We would be very comfortable with having that debate with anybody. We are discussing what this Government is doing in this State.

The new charges will come to some €560 and let me remind the Labour Party that those charges are not based on income or ability to pay. It seems clear to me that the Labour Party has abandoned the principle of progressive taxation. These two measures are about raising revenue for national finances. None of the money that is being raised is going towards local services. We all know in our individual constituencies that the local authority's budgets have been slashed year after year. This is about raising revenue to plug the hole in the national finances. If that is what this is about there are fairer ways to achieve it, such as by having fair and progressive taxation. I will table an amendment to the Order of Business, calling on the Minister or Minister of State from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to come to the House. We spent nearly 16 hours debating the Water Services Bill. It has taken up to now for the Government to tell the people what they will pay for water. Let me remind people outside this House that after 2015, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour Party councillors will have the power to increase the property tax, which they will do and after 2016 they will have the power to increase water charges.