Irish Water charges and rollout
Darragh O’Brien calls for water charges to be suspended and Irish Water reviewed, arguing that poor participation, management and public confusion have made the scheme a debacle.
I would like to ask the Deputy Leader where stands Irish Water at this stage and the whole water charges debacle. I found it a little perplexing in the past few days to see Government Deputies and Senators wringing their hands, saying it was terrible and blaming the management of Irish Water. I remind Members opposite that it is their creation. They created Irish Water and set it up as a separate private entity against the advice of PwC.
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It might as well be private as it is a separate entity. They set it up against the advice of PwC. I genuinely call on the Government - Senator marin Conway does not have to leave at this stage as water falls from the sky and it is free-----
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Only 500,000 people have returned the documentation out of 1.2 million. The whole thing is a debacle. The Government might as well shut it down, suspend any further charging and try to get this right. Most people want water conserved and want a fair system, with which I would agree. However, the situation is going from bad to worse and it will not get any better unless the Government shows some leadership. I formally ask the Deputy Leader to ask Ministers to suspend water charges, carry out a proper review, give the system time and put a proper and correct system in place.
I refer to the very serious statements of fact made in regard to the cover up of abuse and rape in the North of Ireland by the provisional movement and by members of Sinn Féin. Unfortunately, this country has had to deal with terrible affairs in regard to child sexual and physical abuse. On foot of the announcement by the Director of Public Prosecutions in the North that there will be a specific inquiry into three cases, what action will the Government take? I am certain there are people in the State - in the Republic - and Irish citizens in the North who have been affected? Are there any plans for the Government to set up an inquiry in this regard? I will not mention any names as I do not want to politicise the situation any more than it has been but everyone knows what the real situation is and who knew what. Perhaps the Government might have a specific response in regard to any inquiry. It may be useful in the coming weeks for the Minister for Justice and Equality or the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to come to the House to address these matters. Even though it was a paramilitary organisation - some would call it a terrorist organisation - its cover ups were institutional, about which there is no question. It was systemic in that organisation.
The social welfare Bill is due, but I am no further down the road in regard to getting answers from the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection about the airport pensioners, the airport pension scheme and the drastic reductions the Government proposes to make to the pensions of both retired members and deferred members, who will take hits of up to 60% to what they were promised.
These reductions also affect the active members of the scheme. I have mentioned this time and again. We all know that if this is allowed happen to this pensions scheme, it will happen to pension schemes all over the country. This is not just about the 15,000 people who are affected. It is very unfair. I think we would agree on all sides of the House that what is being proposed is absolutely outrageous. I cannot get an answer from the Tánaiste. She keeps referring to the fact that the expert panel liaised and dealt in a very detailed manner with people's concerns. It did not and we all know this. In advance of the social welfare Bill, I need to know the Government's position, in order that I can prepare amendments to that Bill. With that in mind, I would like to propose an amendment to the Order of Business that, even for half an hour, the Tánaiste come to the House to make a statement on the position on the pension changes passed under the State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014 which affect 15,000 current and former airport workers. They are entitled to know whether the Government will bring forward amendments to stop these drastic reductions in their pensions. I formally propose that amendment.