David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I seek a debate on the introduction of water charges. It is quite obvious from the summer months that the public will be asked to pay more for water than was previously anticipated and that the annual charge will be greater than what was presented by the Minister when we had very lengthy debates in this House on the water services legislation. The way the Government has gone about this is also very undemocratic because in a very clever way from its perspective, although I think it will backfire on it, it has given responsibility for setting the charges over to the Commission for Energy Regulation, thereby allowing Fine Gael and the Labour Party to wash their hands of the charge and the rate. I do not think it will wash with the people or the electorate.

It is also interesting at a time when we are hearing from the Government that we may have some wriggle room in the budget to support low and middle income families, it is planning to dip into their already empty pockets to charge them for water, which we know is one of the most necessary resources people need. That is on the back of the huge level of investment going into water meters which would be better spent on fixing the leaks in the system rather than putting what I would characterise as Government cash registers outside people's homes, which is what these water meters will be.

It is important that the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government comes to the House to spell out exactly what is happening because we have not had that since the Commission for Energy Regulation has been given the responsibility to set the water charge. Members of the Oireachtas, both in the Dáil and the Seanad, should be allowed to have a discussion with the Minister on this important issue because obviously people throughout the State are getting packs and they have a large number of questions, even around the logistics and modalities of it, which need to be addressed also. Whatever about the charge, people have many other issues and concerns. I respectfully ask the Leader to arrange such a debate as soon as possible.