Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

This amendment is on the plebiscite for the dissolution of Irish Water. This has been a matter of contention outside of the House. There is a substantial amount of agreement between me and the Minister on the avoidance of the privatisation of the utility. We all interpret that as the wish of the people.

The amendment’s purpose is to allow for the alienation of the shares in Irish Water currently held by Ervia. The presence of shares vested in Ervia is where the problem has arisen with the concerns about privatisation. I want these shares to be transferred to the Minister for Finance. Accordingly, this amendment is a stronger protection in the common goal I share with the Minister to prevent the privatisation of Irish Water. The shares are the vehicle through which this fear of privatisation exists. If we put them firmly in the provenance of the Minister for Finance, it will afford a protection against the shares’ sale.

Nationalisation of the sector is the defence against its privatisation. By having Ervia removed, the amendment would allow the Minister for Finance to reallocate its functions to the local authorities. This would allow a different set-up than heretofore. Having listened to the debate, I am aware of some local authority areas that had bad records in water wastage and others with good records. Perhaps we have not given credit to the latter. We should look more at the good performing local authorities and county engineers.

As water service provision will involve, for now and the foreseeable future, taxpayer funding as well as funding from charges, the amendment proposes no punitive actions against dwellings where, or tenants whose, charges have not been wholly or partly paid, as it involves general taxpayers.

Appreciating as we do that public opinion is so strongly against privatisation of Irish Water, alienating those shares from Ervia to the Minister for Finance, essentially nationalising the company, would be a belt-and-braces approach to what the Minister also wishes to achieve, namely, the protection of Irish Water from privatisation in the future through the mechanism of a plebiscite.

The amendment allows the possibility of reconfiguring water services in whichever form the Minister wishes, stresses the role of local authorities, which have a good record on wastewater services - the measure used in the McLoughlin report on non-performing water authorities - and recognises that people will still make substantial payments for water through general taxation. This is an obstacle to cutting off people's water supply, which the Minister and I both oppose. I table the amendment in the spirit of being of assistance to the House and Minister.