Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I know the Members opposite are sensible when they actually think about it, and they know it is right but they just have to say it is wrong. I think politics would be an awful lot better if we all admitted that charging for water is the right thing to do. Those who cannot afford to pay will be facilitated and will have clean water. I am from Clifden and have paid water charges all my life. There were group schemes, but that is another thing. Ultraviolet rays are used to ensure the bacteria in the tanks are killed. The Senator has asked how we are conserving. We are cleaning and conserving by using the conservation grant. The impetus is there. It should be mandatory in the building regulations for new houses that there is rainwater harvesting throughout. Reedbed cleansing will also lead to better water all round.