Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Okay. I again welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Paudie Coffey, to the House to discuss a very serious issue which many people are worried about. I heard people express their fears on the ground recently and the situation has been ongoing since the local elections. The Government is examining the issue since last May. It will not make any rash decisions but it has been listening to people.
It has already been stated by the Government that the way Irish Water was set up and its communication leaves a lot to be desired. The Minister has apologised for that and John Tierney has apologised for it. However, it was the correct decision to set up Irish Water. People who cannot afford to pay for water will get assistance as part of the household benefits package. The Government has said the situation will be addressed for poorer people. People who pay taxes, who pay for everything in this country, will also have to be helped. The Government has said that also. Many issues relating to Irish Water must be changed.
Nobody has a monopoly on doing everything right. The previous Government agreed with the troika that there should be water charges. Fine Gael and the Labour Party agreed to set up Irish Water and the methodology for same. It is obvious that everything was not done correctly and that must be fixed. It has been agreed that Ireland has the biggest water use per capitain the EU. The EU and IMF programme of financial support for Ireland both contain commitments to reintroduce domestic water charges. Ireland is under a legal obligation from Europe to implement cost recovery. This morning when Deputy Adams was asked on the radio what he thought about the EUROSTAT arrangements and how the amount was moved off the balance sheet, he said he did not know about it. He told the EU to bugger off. I do not think we can afford to tell the EU to bugger off on such issues.
The directive from Europe must be followed and the polluter-pays principle is also important. It appears that we could be in trouble on the issue. The people have spoken on the charges and the Taoiseach has listened. Fine Gael, the Taoiseach, the Labour Party and the Government have said Irish Water will not be privatised.