Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. I wish to acknowledge the great work of Senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh, who really was a superb Chairman in the face of adversity. It was a very difficult task and long hours were put in. I know he personally went over and above the call of duty. I agree with one aspect of the presentation by my colleague, Senator Ó Clochartaigh. Water is essential to life.

I am speaking today as a member of the Green Party and as a member of the Special Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services. I must admit I am a little disappointed with the provisions contained in this Bill. I did not support the conclusions of the committee, as I felt that there was far too little support for conservation and careful use and that the provisions were inadequate to the task of fixing our water system. We all know of the leaks that have long plagued our water network but most seem less aware of the pretty remarkable process in leak prevention that a national roll-out of meters has managed to deliver to date.

The Bill will establish Irish Water on a secure footing for the future by securing its funding through public taxation. As Members are already no doubt aware, the Green Party is not completely in favour of this position. We support the principle that wastage of crucial natural resources should never be subsidised or rewarded and that penalties can be beneficial to affect people’s behaviours. I appreciate that a penalty for overuse did finally make it into the committee’s recommendations and note that the way it is structured in the Bill, with a six-month notice period, will serve almost exclusively as a deterrent, and will almost certainly never actually be applied. As long as it leads to reductions in waste, I have no objection to that. Our aim is to create an environment of careful and efficient use, not to charge for charging’s sake.

I am also supportive of the extension of the role of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, and trust that it will finally assess the actual level of average usage of water in Ireland. As a member of the committee, I pushed hard for the alteration of the work of the public water forum to include more public awareness about the issues under its consideration, and I am supportive of its incorporation into the new water forum. It is my hope that this body can be instrumental in drawing a line under the huge public anger we have seen over the past few years and lead to a more positive engagement between Irish Water and the public it serves.

There is so much missing from this Bill. The most glaring omission is any mention of the need to secure Irish Water in public ownership. A Bill regarding the constitutional protection of water services in Ireland is working its way through the committee process, too slowly in my opinion, but we need to prepare for what was one of the most adamant and the primary recommendation of the committee — that privatisation of water services be made entirely impossible.

The Bill contains no provisions at all in regard to metering. I did not support the committee’s recommendations on this issue. I believe that we have seen the huge benefit individual meters can provide in leak detection and prevention, quite apart from their function in more effectively, accurately and easily detecting excessive usage. There is nothing about the drinking water inspectorate, nothing about water conservation incentives, no more resources for the EPA or local authorities to ensure compliance with the Water Framework Directive, something that we are seeing the serious effects of lately in health, in the environment, and in the financial impacts of serious fines. Nor is there anything on multi-annual financial planning for Irish Water, including the prospect of accessing funding from the National Treasury Management Agency.

I and the Green Party will vote to support this Bill because I believe that we do need to take action to control wastage of any natural resource, including water. I will support it because Irish Water needs long-term certainty regarding its funding for the foreseeable future if it is to tackle the challenges of providing a secure and sustainable water supply to all in a warming world that will be affected by a changing climate and the attendant challenges. However, I would have liked to see the Government put into effect the many other provisions and recommendations from the committee, especially guaranteeing the public ownership of water in Ireland, and I hope that the Minister will strive to do so in the near future in order that we might finally draw a line under this contentious issue that has been water in Ireland.

The Minister understands that clean, fresh water is essential for life. It is time that we as a nation appreciated the wonderful resource that it is, and recognise that we have to pay for the services attached to it.