David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This section deals with the introduction of charges. While a considerable proportion of the population have a difficulty with the ownership of water, I accept that there are people who have no difficulty paying water charges. However, a significant number of people have a difficulty with the notion of paying a second time, or else they simply cannot afford to pay. I was chastised earlier when I tried to raise my concerns about amendments to this section, but this is my opportunity to raise these concerns. It feels like Groundhog Day. We raised similar concerns 13 months ago during our debate on the Water Services Bill 2013. These concerns were shared by the citizens we represent and others outside the Chamber, but we were dismissed by the then Minister. We repeatedly made the point that we were not prepared to buy a pig in a poke. We wanted to know exactly what we would be buying and how much people were expected to pay before we would even consider voting for the Bill. We were told that we would be consulted, but the decisions were farmed out to the Commission for Energy Regulation, which in turn was swept to one side when the Government was forced into a humiliating climbdown. One of the arguments we made at the time was that the Government should have been responsible for that element of the legislation rather than leaving it to the commission. In the end, however, it was the Cabinet rather than the commission which came up with the new pricing structure. At least the matter was taken back into political control.

We were told that a plan for water charges would be put in place. The essential point we were making was that people already pay for water through their taxes. We argued about what should or should not be paid indirectly, with speakers offering the example of the ESB and other utilities. That might be the case, but traditionally in this State we have paid for water through our taxes. People are angry. There are sighs from Government Senators when we raise these issues.