Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government has been criticised and Sinn Féin is quite entitled to do so. I have no problem with constructive debate and factual debate, and these are the facts. Several months ago the Sinn Féin leader was in full agreement with paying water charges. Suddenly he stated he will not pay and now he states he is totally opposed to water charges. This is a huge transition in a very short space of time. I have heard criticism of the metering programme this evening. It is also a fact that in Northern Ireland, where Sinn Féin is in power, 35,000 water meters have been installed throughout the system. Why is this? It is for the very same reason we are doing it here.