David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I respectfully ask the Minister to listen to me. He will have a chance again to respond to me. What Parliament in its right mind would put €90 billion of taxpayers’ money into private banks, not public banks, to pay back private bondholders? We emptied the National Pensions Reserve Fund and borrowed money to put into the banks. Leading up to that, no one would have foreseen a set of circumstances in which we socialised the debts of private banks.

It is not, therefore, beyond the realm of possibility that some Government in the future may want to privatise our water services. What the people want is the ultimate protection that the only people who can give permission for our water to be privatised or sold off are the people of the State, not a politician or party. That is the very point the Minister is missing.

I asked the Minister a straight question when I was on my feet the last time but he did not answer it.