No one trusts the Minister on this issue, given what has happened in the past. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael cannot be trusted when it comes to water charges. The fact that the Minister is opposing this Bill confirms we are right to have those suspicions. Water is a human right. Water charges punish the likes of pensioners and people on low incomes. They push people into water poverty. We have a cost-of-living crisis and there is no justification for charges. We have discovered, however, that the Government is working behind the scenes to introduce charges. That is in the public domain.

Sentiment score: -0.31

Funnily enough, this was not mentioned during the general election campaign because the Minister knows this is something the Irish public does not support. This has never been about conservation or tackling excessive use from the Government’s point of view. It is simply an attempt to bring domestic water charges in through the back door. If it was about conservation, we would have proper investment in our water infrastructure and underground network. The Government should ensure that Uisce Éireann has funding to address these issues and to accelerate its leakage reduction programme to address the biggest cause of water loss in the domestic water system, but it fails to do that. That shows it is not about water conservation but, rather, about finding an excuse to put another bill on top of hard-pressed households which are already crippled with high energy and fuel costs, insurance costs, childcare costs and rent. The list goes on and on. People already pay for their domestic water services through general taxation. Introducing a domestic water charge would be a form of double taxation that would do nothing to improve conservation but would simply punish workers and families across the State who are already struggling. If the Government really does not intend to bring in water charges, it should support and enact the Bill to put this issue to bed once and for all. That it is not doing so speaks volumes. Even if it does not support the Bill, water charges will ultimately be rejected again by the Irish people, if it comes down to it.

Sentiment score: -0.13