WATER SERVICES BILL A FARCE

Thomas Pringle TD has today lashed out at how the government has dealt with the Water Services Bill following a mass opposition walkout on the Bill, describing it as a ‘farce’.

“This Bill which is the backbone of how Irish Water is going to work, including how they will set water charges, was given a measly 3 hours to go through all stages in the Dáil which is an absolute disgrace and an affront to democracy, something which has become a common feature of this current Fine Gael/Labour government. Today myself and fellow opposition TDs staged a mass walkout in the Dáil in response to the government’s insistence on rushing through this important legislation.

“There are many parts of this Bill that cause great concern, not least that there are no protections for consumers, allowing Irish Water to apply for price hikes whenever they wish. It has even been said that they may seek a hike in charges if households become more efficient and use less water making them less profit, which is utterly bizarre.

“If that wasn’t bad enough there are no protections for local authority staff at the end of service level agreement after 12 years which could leave them in a very difficult situation, particularly if the government decides to sell off Irish Water then. This also leads to legacy pensions of Irish Water staff with the local authorities, leaving the local authorities without any means to recoup the cost.

“I had proposed amendments to deal with all of these issues, but unfortunately they won’t be heard now; all we wanted was adequate time to debate this Bill, but the government denied us that. It’s unlikely that the government will see the error of their ways, but it is the responsibility of public representatives to continue to fight against any wrongs made against the Irish people, and that is what we have done today,” stated Pringle.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

•