Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State should tell me what the problem is. Is it a political decision that Fine Gael and the Labour Party have made or are there really complex areas that the Government cannot deal with, or is it that the Government will not deal with those areas? I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, or the Minister, Deputy Kelly, whenever he returns this evening, to answer that question. What is so complex about this that the Minister cannot do it?

I still think, even at this stage, that this section in its entirety should be deleted. My party is opposing it. My colleagues in Sinn Féin and others on the Independent benches are opposing the section. The Government should delete this section, take it out of the Bill and go back to the drawing board. They can still do that.

They have set themselves a false deadline of January for charges. They have changed that previously. They changed already the deadline for the return of applications forms to be sent in to Irish Water. At one stage we were told that it was an absolute necessity that PPS numbers be sent in to get allowances and, lo and behold, it is not and Irish Water is deleting all the PPS numbers that it holds. Why should we trust the Government with the advice the Minister is giving us on this important issue when it has got so much of it wrong up until now? The Minister of State should tell us why the Government cannot hold a referendum. Is it a political decision, did the Government merely decide that it does not want to and it is against doing so, and what are the areas of complexity in that regard? Even if Deputy Coffey stated the Government could not hold a referendum next May and it will take longer than that, he should prepare a referendum for next year. He should clear up that issue and deal with other areas of concern, such as charges.

I am yet to be convinced by those who argued vociferously, in my view, rightly, for a referendum only a short couple of weeks ago who now believe that this section on a plebiscite is sufficient. I still remain to be convinced as to why that is.

The Leas-Chathaoirleach might advise me as to whether it is appropriate that the Minister of State respond at this stage to answer queries that have been put already.