For many Deputies, it is why they were elected.

Please do not insult the intelligence of the people who took to the streets over the past two years.

What about those who did not take to the streets?

The difference is they did their research a long time ago.

Did they?

The Government never produced any research to back up false claims that these charges would somehow reduce household water usage and they were necessary to do so. I just quoted real research, facts and comparisons that have been confirmed by the water commission. We relayed them to the Government two years ago. We use 20% less water per household than Britain, which has water charges. Therefore, such charges do not reduce water usage. It is a simple fact arising from comparison. I suggest the Minister does his research.

Will the Government now accept the will and intelligence of the people who have taken to the streets? They want conservation as much as the Minister.

That is a hell of a-----

If the Government wants an incentive for further conservation, why does it not introduce an actual conservation grant?

That is some future. If that is the premise there will be some future.

Deputy Deasy, please.

That grant should encourage people to put in water-saving devices. It has never done that. The Government is spoofing when it argues that it wants water conservation. It actually wants to impose a regressive and unfair tax on householders and the people will not be conned.

Thank you, Deputy.

If the Minister does not know, the people will be on the streets in February again if the Government does not accept their will and intelligence in this matter.

The Deputy will not accept anything.

This is a valuable report. We are setting up a committee. The Deputy is involved in the committee, so he will have ample opportunity to air his views.

He is open-minded.

The report shows that metering has reduced leakage. It shows that it has worked. The report endorses the idea of setting up a national utility and removing the responsibility from the local authorities. It endorses the value of moving away from the old approach. It supports the polluter pays principle, which provides that people who use water excessively should pay for such usage and that the general taxpayer who pays for most of the normal usage should not pay for excessive usage.

There is no excessive usage.

The report endorses many valuable principles. Like every other Deputy who is a member of the committee, Deputy Boyd Barrett will be able to tease this out and come back to the Oireachtas so that we can make final decisions. That is the way the people of Sallynoggin would expect us to behave as elected representatives who have a duty to make decisions that are based on the long-term ability of this country to fund a water system that meets the needs of our citizens. We hope that will happen through this process.