Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am flabbergasted by this section. Section 47 and some of the following sections give Irish Water unprecedented powers as a utility company. Every household in the country will be asked to work for Irish Water by notifying it under a statutory obligation. There is no legal obligation on households at the moment to register with Irish Water until this Bill is passed by the Oireachtas, and signed by the President if Senators vote for it. If there is a failure to register, there will be a default rate of around €260 on a dwelling. This section will bring in a mandatory obligation on the owner of a dwelling to register as a customer of Irish Water and to notify Irish water in writing if he or she is not the occupier of the dwelling. If that is the case, they will have to provide the name of each person on the tenancy agreement and the date the tenancy agreement commenced. If one provides false or misleading information, there will be a class A fine of up to €5,000 upon summary conviction. This morning in the Dáil, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, said that, without question, Irish Water will never be sold. I am not sure he can give that commitment on the floor of Dáil Éireann. I am not sure that any Member on the Government side----