Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Where in the world would one get it? I have written to the European Commission about the issue being transferred to Irish Water through the Department of Social Protection. It is a transfer of capital to a private utility company and is wrong in every sense of the word. I agree with what Senator Hayden had to say. I see nothing but problems when we try to deal with the issue of tenants.

I will oppose every single step of this Bill. I will submit what amendments I can and support any amendments that are brought forward. I will sit here and watch the other side be marched in like sheep to vote for this Bill to pass into law. I will not get party political about it because I do not care who forms the next Government but politicians on all sides will pay a high price for the sleight of hand the Government is pulling with this Bill because that is what it is. It is a sleight of hand and an insult to the people of Ireland.

Someone said a while ago that we have not been told how many people have paid their water charges. We have not been told for one very good reason. Very few people are paying them. I did not register for Irish Water and I do not want €100 for doing nothing. If the Government is going to give me a grant, it should at least ask me to do something for it. It is an outrage. For the remainder of this session, the Government will ram through as much legislation as it can, come out with a sweet little budget in October, call an election and think it has fooled the people of Ireland. We are not fools. Certainly, the people outside here are not fools. A few clowns last week outside the gates of the Dáil let down the water protest people by being thugs but the Government should bear in mind that the people who are genuinely against Irish Water are not the thugs that were out there last week. They are the ordinary, decent working people of Ireland.