Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

What I am looking for is less hypocrisy and more truth.

I was also struck by the hypocrisy of the Government and members of the Government parties in the cover-up about Irish Water. Let us call a spade a spade. Irish Water is not perfect, but Members of the House on the Government side and Government Members in the Dáil put Irish Water in place. The legislation was approved in this House, despite the objections of many on this side. I did not vote it because I did not know what the cost would be; I saw it as a second form of tax and we did not know for what the first billion we would pay in taxes would be used, while we received no answers on the question of bonuses. I received an answer from Irish Water in March this year, that X% of salaries was being held back and that only if staff performed would they receive a bonus. Now the Government is reeling it out as if it was a bonus on top of a salary. We have had nothing but hypocrisy and a cover-up. One million people are not wrong and they are right not to sign until we have received the truth, have accuracy and fairness. I absolutely support Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell's call to have the senior Minister in the House to discuss Irish Water.