Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The problem is that I am not sure how a minority Government will get what is required to get water charges up and running. I do not believe it will happen. I believe this will probably ultimately lead to an election, in which all sides will again promise a utopian State where nobody will pay for anything, we will all have a great time and everybody will be happy. Afterwards, somebody will be elected into Government and they will have to fix the damage that has been done. We must wake up. We must recognise that water was being paid for through general taxation and we must adjust the general taxation system to take account of the new taxation methodologies being used. One cannot keep piling stuff on people. They do not have it.

The bottom line is that I believe everybody should pay. Nobody should be exempt from paying for water. However, the Irish Water model is a failed identity. The Government should scrap it, go back to the drawing board and come up with a system of local taxation, which includes property and water, at a rate that is affordable for people. Ultimately, the European Union will make a decision for us anyway. We will probably find ourselves spending millions of euro defending the decisions that will be made as a result of this Bill. It is with some regret that I will support the Bill. I look forward, with great interest, to seeing where we go from here. I agree with Senator Coffey that we will be back sitting around a table knocking lumps out of each other again over what ultimately must happen. One must fund water systems. I have seen Galway and Roscommon brought to their knees because of the water system.

We must get this Bill through now, but I cannot see how the Minister will get the 45% who have opted out ever to return to the system. However, we will worry about that when the time comes.