Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I live in Dublin, which a Stanford University study identified as the second most vulnerable city in the world to future water shortages. We might ask why that is, given that it rains every day. We must be realistic. It is not a game but a serious job. The Government is correcting the shortages. We are dependent on foreign direct investment. Intel in County Kildare uses water daily, and not water that falls from the sky but treated water. The greater Dublin area is over-reliant on the Liffey, drawing 84% of its water from it. The investment should have been done years ago during the Celtic tiger years. Many people, including me, are to blame. Disruptions to the water supply cost Dublin city businesses €78 million, and this has been a problem over the years. Yesterday, I received a phone call from a person in Rathfarnham who has paid his or her water bill and wants to do so, but said we should say it loud and clear that Irish Water is bringing in a system whereby only those who can afford to pay will have to pay.