Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House and I thank him for his opening statement which brought more clarity to the situation and to the intent of this Bill. It is true to say, as has been said by Senator Walsh, that we had a major debate on the issue of water in this House last year. It is also true to say that it is very good that the Seanad has been retained by the people because the changes that have occurred also bring into focus the importance of the debate that was held in this House. It is also important that this House was retained because what we did successfully as Members of the House is see to it that many of the issues that we raised in the House are being dealt with in this Bill. Many of the issues raised at the Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht are dealt with in the Bill. I have spent the past half an hour looking at my own contributions, both at the committee and in this House, on the previous Bill and since then. Practically all of the issues I raised during that time are now dealt with in this Bill. For that reason, the people were very wise when they retained the Seanad - not because of my contribution but because of all of them.

We have had 20 hours of debate on water in this House. It has been successful. We see that the Minister has enshrined in this legislation that the people will decide if and when, if ever, Irish Water is to be privatised. What amuses and amazes me are the concerns of certain elements - they do not accept democracy in all its forms - because nobody, that I am aware of, in either House, has expressed a view, publicly at least, that Irish Water or that water should be privatised. Nobody elected to this House or the Lower House that I am aware of has expressed that publicly.