Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming to the House.I also thank him for agreeing to meet with cross-party representatives to discuss councillors' issues. That meeting is to be held tonight and I welcome the fact that the Minister agreed to it before the summer recess.

I do not envy the Minister his task on this issue. I sat in this House with the former Minister of State, Senator Coffey, in the dark hours of long nights in the middle of winter debating water services. We went through the issue, heard the views across the House and heard the views of the people. We witnessed the opposition to it but we saw the process being completed with the establishment of Irish Water. Our party stood by it. I believe Senator Coffey used the word "cannibalised" when referring to the election. Perhaps he did not, but that is what I heard. If he did, I agree with him. When I canvassed on behalf of Deputy Alan Kelly we witnessed the same event, day after day. Much of it was not to do with water but with other political agendas. As Senator Coffey knows, I know Waterford very well after having worked there for 13 years. I could name some of the people who were involved in stirring this up.

I respect the fact that people are opposed to paying for water. However, consider the figures for payment that Irish Water had reached before the discussions on the formation of a Government. They had reached over 60%. There was a reluctant acceptance that people had to pay for water in order to improve the infrastructure and to ensure that there would be a good quality supply, as was mentioned earlier in the discussion. However, where are we now? We have stopped the process, which is why I do not envy the Minister his task. That was the price of forming the Government. I envisage positions hardening further in the nine months of this process, rather than people coming together. Unfortunately, what I hear from people who are opposed to water charges is that they will be ready in nine months' time to oppose them again.

To sum up, we went through a process and reached the other end of it. We started issuing bills and reached a rate of more than 60% for payment. Then we stopped the train, put it into reverse and now we are stalling it in the station for nine months. That is not good enough. I wish the Minister and the commission well. Perhaps they will reach a meeting of minds but, as has been said already, the current Houses of Oireachtas would vote against water charges if a vote was put to them. That is the final arbiter on this issue, and we will arrive at that point nine months hence, two years hence or at the next general election. Some people were telling the electorate to pay for water but when there was a by-election in Tallaght and the result went the other way, they started telling people not to pay for it and said they would not pay for it themselves. That is the populist politics we are dealing with, as Senator Coffey mentioned earlier. Politicians of certain views, colour and political persuasion will tell the electorate anything it wishes to hear to get votes, knowing that they will not go into power to carry out what they promised. They refuse to go into power. Confronted with such a situation I say to the Minister, for the third time, that I do not envy him his task, but I wish him well with it.