Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister, Deputy Coveney, for outlining the rationale behind what is essential legislation. As I outlined in the debate last week, it is legislation that was formulated to facilitate Government formation due to the make-up of the political parties and the political will in the Lower House and this House also.

I want to reiterate my concerns with regard to the future of Irish Water. I feel this is something that was capitalised on to a large degree in the last general election for populist reasons by many political parties. It is a political issue, I have no doubt, but it also a societal issue.I hope this legislation will now give the necessary space, as the Minister has said, for mature debate on the requirements of the country, society and citizens as well as the need for quality water infrastructure in the country for the years ahead. We need to have a sustainable system that provides quality drinking water and treated water that does not pollute our rivers and bays. We need to ensure we do not have concerns around capacity in our major urban environments.

Senator Ó Clochartaigh relayed some of the things that have gone wrong in Connemara. In my area in Waterford, contamination occurs and people cannot drink the public water supply. When that happens, the people hold their politicians to account and hold the system to account. It is not a question of if things go wrong but when things go wrong with our water networks. If we cannot point to the responsible actions of investment, the same populist politicians calling for abolition of charges will have to be held to account.

I wish the Bill well and in particular I wish the independent expert commission well. Those involved will now undertake an important body of work. I mean no disrespect to the politicians in this Chamber or others but I genuinely believe there is more mature debate in many of our primary schools and among our children on sustainability in our water network than we have seen in the public discourse during the past year or two. I honestly mean that. We could learn more about sustainability and the need for a quality water network in the green schools in our country than from many of the popular notions we have heard in the public discourse in recent weeks.

The Bill will suspend charges for nine months to allow space and I accept that. I have concerns that this is a retrograde step, but let us give it space. I encourage all political parties to be responsible in their engagement and propositions. Ultimately, someone has to pay for this quality network. This will have to happen through the polluter pays principle, something we have agreed with our EU partners. We have Water Framework Directive responsibilities that we cannot abdicate, ignore or neglect. There are issues around the EU derogation as well.

I sincerely hope we can reach outcomes that the majority can live with and that can sustain our networks in future. Essentially, if consumers are not paying, it will fall back on the taxpayer again. It will fall back on those in the squeezed middle we often refer to. They are working people and PAYE workers. Some may think they will have a lesser charge because these charges are being suspended, but in fact PAYE workers will be paying far more in trying to sustain a network that literally has failed in recent years.

We need to grasp this nettle once and for all. I look forward to engaging in the debate in the coming months and I encourage others to do so as well. I thank the Minister for outlining the rationale and I wish the Bill well. I sincerely hope that at the end of this process the majority can agree at least that we will invest in our water network in a sustainable way for the future.