Michael Comiskey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State for this important debate on the water charges.

County Sligo has been mentioned and what has happened there can be replicated across the country. Sligo County Council has made a huge investment in water services in recent years, as has Leitrim County Council. Between 1998 and 2010, Sligo County Council invested €110 million in the construction of new water and wastewater infrastructure. Most of this money was spent in Sligo town. Of the €110 million, €40 million came from the council's own resources, comprising a loan of €23 million and €17 million in development charges. Sligo town now has one of the best water and wastewater treatment systems in the country which has the capacity to cater for 80,000 people. This contrasts with the situation of some neighbouring councils, including those in Galway, County Roscommon and Letterkenny, where the council has been brought to court by the Environmental Protection Agency.

When the new treatment plants were commissioned during the period 2008 to 2010, Sligo County Council was committed to funding the running costs. At the same time, its block grant was reduced. Its block grant went from €19 million in 2008 to €15 million in 2013, while the cost of water went from €5.7 million to €10.2 million in the same period. As this has caused serious strain, I disagree with those who say the old system was good.

Our water engineers have estimated that in the next five years the cost of projects identified throughout the county will be €70 million. Irish Water will cover the entire cost and there will be no cost to the council. This will mean hundreds of jobs in the community for construction workers, engineers and so forth, real employment for young graduates from Sligo Institute of Technology. As Irish Water will be providing the vital utility for the county, it will add to its growth, while protecting the environment at the same time.

However, if we go back to the old funding method any progress made will stop, because no Government will have the funding in the next five years, and I do not think Sligo County Council or any other council should be exposed to such an insecure financial position again.

Irish Water provides clean water and wastewater removal. It will provide jobs in the building industry in every county and will help secure the financial position of each county council while protecting the environment. We have only to look at Scottish Water to see what a publicly owned water utility can deliver. We need to support progress to help build the best water utility in Europe. Let us look at what we have done with our factories. We have many good factories in County Sligo, all of which need a clean and reliable water system.

A point I have made several times is that rural people in group water schemes have paid for their own water for many years. I have been involved in group water schemes. To join the scheme one pays €1,000, plus €140 per year after that. When water was not provided, our ancestors had to carry it in buckets. Surely we do not want to go back to that situation. The only way forward is to support Irish Water and give it the opportunity to borrow in the same way as the ESB, which can borrow €70 billion to provide infrastructure right across the country. When travelling from east to west and through the entire country, we can see the great work being done by the ESB in building its infrastructure. We must encourage people to harvest water for farming and washing machines.

I have a question for Sinn Féin, although my colleague has left the Chamber. While it continues to criticise the metering programme, why does Northern Ireland have a metering programme? I understand that in Northern Ireland, when a new house is built, a new water meter is installed. Why did Sinn Féin in government not stop that practice in Northern Ireland? I assure Sinn Féin there will be no rust, as the water meters are made from plastic and fibreglass.