Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil supports the Bill which will give effect to the recommendations made in April by the Joint Committee of the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services. The legislation will abolish water charges and introduce fines or levies for those who waste water. Abolishing the last unfair water charging regime was a key manifesto commitment for Fianna Fáil. With this Bill, 92% of households will not pay a charge, while those who waste water will have until July 2019 to apply for exemptions for excessive water use. There is also a first-time fix policy available. In that time the regulator will determine normal usage. It was agreed by all parties that homes could use up to 1.7 times that level. As this formula can only be changed with the agreement of the Dáil, accusations made by the hard left that water charges will return are completely false and populist.

The new Bill complies with EU water directives, will prevent water wastage and allow for investment from the Exchequer in the country's water infrastructure. While Fianna Fáil secured a commitment in the confidence and supply agreement that Irish Water would be kept in public ownership, it was also agreed at the all-party committee that a referendum would be held to ensure this would be enshrined in the Constitution. The Bill also provides for a refund of water charges. In addition, the committee agreed that there would be equity for those participating in rural water schemes and that a working group would be established to pursue that aim. There will also be also be extra usage allowance for large families of five or more and those with medical conditions. People will have time to moderate their usage as an information campaign, which is part of the agreement, will commence soon. It is crucial that there is a campaign because people need to know. It is a lack of information that causes confusion.

The new framework will draw a line under the water charges fiasco which occurred under Fine Gael and the Labour Party and which cost the country €22 million in 2015. The new system which this Bill puts in place will end this disastrous process.

It is important that we agree with the report of the Joint Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services. The existing regime will be abolished, 92% of householders will not pay charges, any households which go above the 1.7 multiplier will have opportunities to rectify the problem or arrive at an agreement, water services will be funded by the Exchequer, households which have paid their bills will be refunded, and a detailed report will be published regarding how to ensure equal funding for those living in rural and urban areas. That is crucial because we must make sure that rural people are not forgotten. That is something I will ensure happens. There will be no future metering programme for existing homes. There will be a referendum on the ownership of Irish Water.

The Department will pay for every household's water as well as providing capital funding for Irish Water. This has been built into the calculations of the fiscal space for 2018 and so will have no direct impact on the budget. People ask where the money will come from. This is crucial information that the public needs to know. Funding for water will go through the Exchequer rather than local government funds, which is to compensate for the Department paying for water usage.

Under the legislation, refunds will be issued within a month of the Bill passing. Some 30,000 cheques may be dispatched daily. There will be 970,000 refunds. Christmas is coming and many people have contacted me to ask when they will receive their refund. Many people are waiting for it because Christmas is coming and people find it hard to make ends meet and pay their bills. Will the Minister confirm this today because it is crucial that the 30,000 cheques per day can be sent out?

According to various Departments, there is no need for customers to call the Department or Irish Water. The only time that customers need to contact them is in the case of a change of address. Everything else will be on the system. If a person has moved house, he or she must ring Irish Water to let it know. That is the only information that it needs.

Fianna Fáil has already boosted funding to group water schemes under the confidence and supply agreement. We will press on with this working group as a priority to ensure equity between urban and rural dwellers in this Bill.

Fianna Fáil believes that it is time to draw a clear line under this fiasco and move on. That is why we drew up a detailed roadmap to reform Irish Water and abolish water charges. It is great that we are here today and can say to people that we in Fianna Fáil delivered on this, working with other groups.

People are finding it very hard to meet their bills. We spoke about local property tax this morning, people trying to pay their mortgages and the many bills people have that they find they just cannot pay. Life can be hard at times. We understand that people should not overuse water which is a precious commodity and that we must appreciate it, but we are also paying for water through other taxes. It is crucial that people get their refund. There is a limit. Everyone should work together to ensure this.