Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is a significant section. Somebody who does not pay the €260 charge could be fined €60 at the end of the year. The total after two years would be €640. Whatever chance the Government has of getting €260, it will have very little chance of getting €640. Will the local authorities be able to post the charge on a dwelling in the event of its sale? I want water charges to be removed but the House has a wonderful opportunity to examine the Bill line by line. I make no apologies about the time we take to do that because this is a once-off opportunity. People can see that we, at least, are making the case for them. We are the voice of the people of Ireland. We are the last voice on this Bill. The Dáil did not give proper consideration to the legislation It should have continued its deliberations into January, February or March of 2015.

There was no panic, crisis or rush. I am becoming more familiar with the details in going through it tonight. I cannot understand how the Minister, as deputy leader of his party, got this through the parliamentary party because it is anathema to the Labour Party I know. I have never been a member, nor do I intend to be, but I have great respect for its members. The Labour Party-Fianna Fáil Government was one of the most progressive Governments in the past century. We introduced free university education.

The Minister should pull back and drop the Bill. Let us go back to the drawing board and look at this issue. He has inherited a crisis and the worst Bill ever introduced in the House. It is the worst plan for the establishment of a semi-State company ever devised and putting that company under Bord Gais Energy which is being privatised------