It was a disgrace that the debate on the Water Services (No. 2) Bill was guillotined yesterday.

There were 14 hours of debate.

I hope it will not be guillotined on Report Stage. I also regret that many of the genuine concerns and questions put to the Minister on a wide range of issues relating to the Bill were simply not addressed. Either the Minister did not have the information or he was not prepared to give it to Senators. Many of the questions and concerns we raised were the same as those expressed yesterday by the Dublin city manager when he was briefing councillors of all parties in Dublin. Some of those questions relate to the transfer of assets and liabilities to Irish Water. According to the article in The Irish Times today on the briefing, the city manager said that €2 billion worth of assets were being transferred to Irish Water, but Dublin City Council will be left with the pension liabilities. The reason for this is that Irish Water is being fattened up for eventual privatisation. We know the assets will be used to allow Irish Water to borrow money. That is the first step to privatising it.

We still have not been given an indication as to how the charge will be calculated or how much it will cost individuals. We are being given no information on such matters, yet we are being asked to support the Bill.

The Bill will be debated in the House later today.

My point is that I hope the issues of concern not just to Dublin City Council, but to all local authorities, and which we are bringing to the Minister's attention, will be addressed. Frankly, the Minister's response so far has been a very good impression of Manuel in "Fawlty Towers", whereby he knows nothing. We want straight answers to questions on these issues but we are not getting them. Yes, we had 14 hours of debate, but they were 14 hours of going around in circles chasing our tails because the Minister is either not in a position to give us the information because he does not know it, or he does know and does not wish to tell us, because it does not suit the Government's narrative that tax cuts are coming.

The Senator is over time.

In reality, the water charges will be a big imposition on households. The Government is not prepared to give us the information. It wants to blame the Commission for Energy Regulation and give it the responsibility. I hope the debate on the Bill will not be guillotined on Report Stage.