David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have called for a debate on Irish Water and the Commission for Energy Regulation's water services plan twice over the past two weeks. I have asked for the Minister of State, Paudie Coffey, to come to the House to discuss these issues. The former Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd, stated: "Irish Water has come across as arrogant and uncaring, demanding money and demanding PPS numbers without properly explaining why all of this is necessary." He said it was "another cosseted quango with a bonus culture". Deputy O'Dowd, who set up Irish Water, and is now on the record as saying that it has become a complete disaster. It is a pity the same Minister of State did not listen to those on this side of the House when we spent 16 or 17 hours discussing the Water Services Bill. Almost all of the concerns raised by those on this side of the House have now come to pass. They were dismissed by the former Minister of State and the Government parties at the time, who voted in favour of the Bill.

Irish Water has become tainted by cronyism and a bonus culture. It is a complete waste of taxpayers' money. Huge amounts of money were spent on consultants. We now see that Irish Water is telling people, especially those who have no more money to give, that if they cannot pay their water charges they will be deprived of adequate water through a reduction in supply. Is that what we have come to as a society? People who cannot afford to pay water charges will be bullied and will have their water supply reduced. The Government is putting people in an awful situation. I challenged the Leader last week and he did not answer the question. Some families cannot afford to pay their mortgages, have empty oil tanks which they cannot afford to fill or cannot afford to put food on the table. What advice would he give to those people when the water bills arrive on 1 January?