Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Senator Coghlan is correct that it should be kept in the ownership of the Irish people, but I do not buy in to this agenda that Irish Water is only there for conservation measures and to save money and to put in place better infrastructure, and I can give a practical example, that of the cost of the regional water scheme in Connemara. Previous to this, Galway County Council, after a 40 year campaign, had put in the first part of that scheme - the pipes are in place. The second part of that scheme was to connect to a clean source of water so that we would have water to go through the pipes. That had been sanctioned by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and agreed to, from a planning perspective. Galway County Council was on board. The first decision Irish Water made when it came on board was to review the position and what we found out is that it is scrapping that essential investment. This is scrapping investment to a community that has been drinking water which has exceeded WHO levels of trihalomethanes, THMs, since 2008. That information had to be dragged out of the local authority and others. What is happening here is not an investment. It is a divestment from projects. It is becoming clear, from what Irish Water has told us about what is happening regionally, the company intends to set up regional schemes. In the case of Galway, Irish Water will pump water from Galway out through Connemara. There will be a necklace of regional schemes set up here. I take it the Minister is sincere in stating that it is not his intention to privatise Irish Water but I put it to him that he is lining up the ducks for whoever wants to privatise Irish Water.