David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is amazing that despite all the questions being asked, which the Leader of this House, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste refused to answer and said we will have to wait until the announcement was made, all the details of what will be announced came into the public domain through the media. That seems to characterise this Government's approach to dealing with such matters and is one of the reasons it is in crisis on this issue. It is because of the way it has handled the establishment of Irish Water and water charges. Despite repeated calls from both Opposition and Government representatives in this House and in the Dáil the questions were not answered yet those in the media were able to get access to all of the detail, even before the Dáil or the Seanad debated the issue. That is regrettable but it is symptomatic of the way this Government has done its business.

It is important to differentiate between the vast majority of peaceful protestors who came out onto the streets in huge numbers in Dublin and in cities and towns across the State some weeks and a small number of people who have engaged in heavy-handed tactics, which are wrong. The right to water protests, which have been organised by a number of trade unions and political parties, have been robust in challenging the Government politically but have been responsible in ensuring they were family-friendly and safe and that they provided an opportunity and a space for people to make their point about water charges. We will have a protest on 10 December and despite the ruse and the political stunt we will see today in the announcement by the Government, people have made up their minds on Irish Water and water charges.

Last week I and a number of other Senators called for a debate on technological universities. It is important we have that debate quickly because as the Leader will be aware, the process in the south east is in very real trouble if not dead in the water. I listened to representatives from Waterford Institute of Technology yesterday saying they will engage with Michael Kelly, who has been appointed by the Government to engage with both institutes and stakeholders in the region, but not on the basis of a merger. If that is their position and they will not move, where does that leave the entire process?

I am flabbergasted that the six Oireachtas Members in Waterford have still not met on this issue despite a request from me to do so. It is one of the most important issues facing the south east and the people of Waterford. I ask the Leader, through his office, to organise such a meeting so that we discuss what is a crisis and how it can be dealt with in an effective way.