Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. The water charade since last year, when the first item of legislation was rammed through, was enough to spur anyone onto the streets not just once but repeatedly. The anger of the people about water charges and this regime was evident on the streets in recent weeks when there were more than 150,000 people on the streets on a single weekend. Moreover, every week since, tens of thousands of people nationwide have been out protesting against water charges. To put it clearly, after the announcement of the changes to the scheme and after the publication of the Bill under discussion that was meant to provide assurances, tens of thousands of people descended on Leinster House last week and essentially brought the city to a standstill. Their message was clear: no tinkering at the edges would suffice, as the people simply did not want water charges.

The Minister and the Government must, however, realise it is not just about water charges; some of this has been discussed by many Members in the course of the debate. The anger is the culmination of people's feelings about numerous charges applied in recent years that have both deprived them of spending power and thrust them into severe poverty. Aside from other considerations, one of the biggest problems in introducing water charges in Ireland is that far too many people have inadequate incomes relative to the cost of meeting their basic needs. Social justice concerns are central to any sustainable water model, particularly given the salience of water charges compared with other taxes and charges. As many Senators have stated in the debate, many people simply do not have the money to pay these charges. While €3 a week may be a pittance to the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, and others, many families simply do not have it. One must remember that in Ireland deprivation rates rose from 11.8% in 2007 to 26.9% in 2012, while recent European Commission data show that Ireland has much higher levels than most other comparable European Union countries. Material deprivation in Ireland is 58% higher than the EU-15 average. One quarter of Ireland's population experiences material deprivation, while one person in ten lives experiences severe material deprivation. Many are going without essential goods. As I stated, the real problem essentially is income inadequacy, as too many have low incomes when compared with the high cost of living here. The answer from the Government should not be water charges but rather scrapping the system, which would reduce the cost of living and therefore, free up disposable income.

The mismanagement in respect of the payment of salaries and bonuses and the incompetence in planning, communications and budgeting essentially are symptomatic of a systems failure, a failure of government and governance. What was the initial purpose of introducing water charges? Was it financial, to encourage conservation or the upgrading of essential infrastructure? While few would deny the importance of infrastructure and conservation in tackling the high levels of water being lost through leaks, what has transpired, namely, mismanagement, cronyism and the overarching threat of privatisation, has meant that Irish Water does not the enjoy the confidence to fulfil its task in terms of conservation. I acknowledge that a plan is needed to meet our water needs, but I do not believe the current plan is it. The Bill is not it either, nor were its predecessors.

When it comes to the prospect of water privatisation, people are not buying the promises and assurances being spun by the Government. Promises about protecting water and other assets are made, but one must remember that Governments change and politicians move on. Many Members have spoken about the holding of a plebiscite and the point was made that Governments could change and legislation could easily be put through to take out the relevant section. Consequently, I have no confidence in that promise whatsoever. That said, as my colleagues have mentioned, Sinn Féin believes water charges should be scrapped. However, scrapping them should not have the unintended consequence of restoring a system that allowed leakages and waste by some property owners and landlords which ultimately have to be paid for by the rest of society. There should be water conservation; there should be repairs and essential upgrades of the system; perhaps the only good thing to emerge from the water services fiasco is that, at least, public discourse and attention have been drawn to water waste and deficiencies. This essentially is where government, at both local and national level, should focus its efforts.