According to The Irish Times today, the "Government expects Independent Senators to help pass Water Bill" and "Brendan Howlin says public wouldn’t welcome having to pay higher utility charges". Will it be my fault, or the fault of my Independent colleagues here, if the Water Services Bill 2014 does not pass through this House this week or next week?

Hear, hear.

Will it be our fault? If it does not pass, will we revert to the original scheme, under which it is estimated that people would have to pay approximately €240 per annum, PPS numbers would be used and bills would arrive in January?

What about the Fianna Fáil figure of €400?

I have a question. All the applications would need to be in. I do not know whether everyone has already sent in their applications.

No.

I remind the House that on 19 December 2013, the Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013 was rushed through the Dáil. Does the Government Leader in this House expect the Seanad to make the exact same mistake this Friday, 19 December 2014? Does the Government expect the Seanad to make the exact same mistake?

No.

I remind Senators that the Water Services Bill 2014 was presented on 28 November last.

There will be no guillotine.

The Dáil agreed the Order for Second Stage on 4 December last. Now it is being rushed through the Dáil. They have already spent 13 hours on it and they are not even finished. They want us to start on Thursday and finish on Friday. Then they will consider that it is our fault. I expect to have some amendments, possibly, depending on what happens in the Dáil. I do not think it will take such a short period of time to pass the Bill. Will the Leader ask the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach whether there is some legal way to give us more time? Are we going to make the same mistake that was made last year?

No, we are not. We will have plenty of time. The Senator is wrong.

Is there not some legal way of giving us more time? That is my question. If the Government cannot find some way of giving us more time, it is not probable that all of us reasonable Senators would advise the public not to pay when they get their bills?

Hear, hear.