Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----which is that as an institution, as a House of the Oireachtas and as representatives of the people, Members have voted unanimously to call on the Government to initiate legislation to enshrine the ownership of Ireland's water by the Irish people. It will require a little more than looking at it, considering it or having a word with the Taoiseach. Members need that commitment from the Minister. Furthermore, the Minister stated that mistakes were made but the Government would now put things right. As the Minister was speaking in this House today, Members could see from media tweets that while he was telling them that he would be in a position to give costs within the next two weeks, 90 minutes ago he indicated it would be next week. The goalposts are changing all the time. Last night, it was the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, giving a sum of €200. Since October, there have been nine adjustments by the Government to the stated charge template of Irish Water. Frankly, the Government has joined Irish Water as a bottomless pit alive with the din of headless chickens. That is what the people think of this process.

I will make a few brief points of rebuttal. The Minister invited Members to imagine if the ESB had been split up into 34 different companies. The difference is, albeit not to the highest quality, these 34 companies are in the ownership of the people because they are housed by those who are representing the people as elected councillors. They were delivering water to every community in this State and flawed as it was, people could get quick answers. Somebody could get a connection, would pay fees and the process one followed to get it was clearly recognisable. Today, we do not have a clue although we have spent hundreds of millions of euro.