Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The manner in which the Government addressed this issue failed to take account of the need for fairness. The late payment provision is an example of the unfairness which has marked Government policy since 2011. I appreciate that the Minister, Deputy Kelly, is new to the Cabinet. He has impressed me since taking over his portfolio. He has worked hard to resolve the homelessness issue, which should have been dealt with long ago. The measures he introduced in this Bill deal with water charges in a more realistic and reasonable way than the legislation introduced by his Fine Gael predecessor.