Water charges ‘unlikely’ to return, declares Micheál Martin

September 20, 2016

Water charges are “unlikely” to be reintroduced, the leader of Fianna Fáil has declared, ahead of a special commission deciding on the future of water services and how they should be funded.

by Juno McEnroe

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin addresses the media prior to the annual parliamentary party think-in at the Seven Oaks Hotel, Carlow. He confirmed his party will not support a Dáil motion by Sinn Féin next week to abolish water charges. Picture: Conor McCabe

Micheál Martin also confirmed that his party will not back a Sinn Féin motion in the Dáil next week to abolish water charges, even though Fianna Fáil ultimately wants to scrap bills for households.

He outlined how his party had effectively delivered the end to water charges after bills were frozen under the confidence and supply deal with the Fine Gael-minority government.

A government-appointed commission on water charges is due to produce a report on the future of managing services in November, after which an Oireachtas committee will examine the issue and the Dáil may act on it.

Mr Martin said charges, currently frozen, were ultimately unlikely to be reintroduced.

He said no Dáil motion could scrap water charges and that only a Dáil money bill could abolish bills.

He said the ‘confidence and supply’ deal with Fine Gael had “essentially got rid” of water charges.

“The only way that water charges can be reintroduced is via legislation by this Dáil and that is unlikely given the configuration of parties within the Dáil,” he said.

More than 90 TDs were elected to the Dáil this year on promises to reform or abolish charges.

Fianna Fáil, which supported the Government on the basis that bills were frozen, has told the commission charges should be abolished. The party rejects claims it has done a U-turn, in the event of a snap election being called.

Mr Martin said Fianna Fáil would remain “faithful” to the commission and there would not have been a government without it being set up.

However, he agreed that, regardless of the outcome of the commission, water charges were “unlikely” to be reintroduced.

Mr Martin was asked whether he thought the charges would be abolished.

“I do, but there are other wider issues besides just charges which fall to be considered,” he said.

He accused Sinn Féin, who are set to introduce a bill to scrap charges in the Dáil next week, of “playacting” in relation to their motion.

“Motions on their own cannot get rid of charges, only legislation can,” he said.

Sinn Féin says its motion presents Fianna Fáil with an opportunity to stop “flip-flopping” on the issue.

MEP Lynn Boylan said: “The reality is we do not have to wait nine months for a so-called expert commission to recommend the scrapping of water charges.

“The Dáil can vote in favour of abolition as early as next week and, in doing so, deliver what people actually voted for at the general election in February.

“They didn’t vote for a suspension of water charges. People want to see them scrapped.”

Source: Irish Examiner, Sept 20, 2016

“It’s not a U-turn" - Fianna Fáil wants water charges abolished

September 12, 2016

They’re suspended for now but the party wants them gone altogether.

**Fianna Fail leader Micheál Martin pictured in 2011.**
image: Mark Stedman/RollingNews.ie

FIANNA FÁIL HAS said that it wants water charges abolished and the provision of water funded by general taxation.

The charges are currently suspended as an expert commission set up to determine the future of water charges begins its work.

Fianna Fáil has made its submission to the commission in which the party sets out its opinion that water charges should be abolished.

Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Fianna Fáil leader Michéal Martin denied that this represented a U-turn for his party.

The introduction of water charges was part of the bailout deal Brian Cowen’s Fianna Fáil government signed with the Troika in 2010.

“It’s not a U-turn, we’ve said from day 1 prior to the election and our submission is very consistent with our general election position, ” he said.

For the lifetime of this government, we want the abolition of water charges as they’re currently in existence and we believe that a combination of funding from from the general exchequer on the current side. And in terms of the investment side from the European Investment Bank and the Strategic Investment Fund.

Martin said that he wants general taxation to pay for Irish Water “into the future”.

Despite wanting water charges gone, he says it is not his party’s position to abolish Irish Water but instead wants an “external examination” of how the utility operates.

The European Commission been forthright in saying that Ireland must introduce water charges and has restated this view on several occasions.

Martin, however, believes that the commission’s legal argument is wrong.

“We have legal opinion to the effect that the commission is wrong in terms of its assertions and indeepd the previous Minister would have said as much in 2010,” he said.

Source: http://www.thejournal.ie/ Sept 12, 2016

Michéal Martin on RTE Sept 12

Clare Daly - No research into environmental costs of domestic water meters

July 21, 2016

Clare Daly, Ind TD, was informed by Minister Simon Coveney in Dáil Questions on July 20, 2016 that his Department did not conduct research on the environmental costs of the domestic metering programme.

"The truth is out... No research into the environmental cost of installing water meters before they took the decision to start installing them; no research into whether any environmental benefits from metering would offset the environmental costs... Looks like that 'environmental benefits' argument for Irish Water has been shot to pieces." Clare Daly

Full Dáil Question and Answers

190. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 128 of 13 July 2016, if he will provide a detailed breakdown of all the research conducted into the environmental cost of the domestic water metering programme; the persons or body within or without his Department it was conducted by; and if he will provide the copies of or links to any papers documenting the results of that research, prior to that Programme commencing. [22947/16]

191. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 129 of 13 July 2016, if he will provide a detailed breakdown of all the research conducted into the environmental cost of the domestic water metering programme; the persons or body within or without his Department it was conducted by; if he will provide copies of or links to any papers documenting the results of that research, since that programme began. [22948/16]

192. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 130 of 13 July 2016, if he will provide a detailed breakdown of all the research conducted to measure the environmental cost of the domestic water metering programme, including the measurement of the carbon footprint of same against any environmental benefits arising from the programme; the persons or body within or without his Department it was conducted by, and if he will provide copies of or links to any papers documenting the results of that research. [22949/16]

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Simon Coveney):   I propose to take Questions Nos. 190 to 192, inclusive, together.

  My Department did not conduct research on the environmental cost of the domestic metering programme.

  Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. This includes the domestic water metering programme.

  Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.

Update

Mr Brian Leeson, Éirigí, Baile Átha Cliath, stated on July 23

"The political establishment told us that water metering would be good for the environment. Ialways thought that argument was a bit suspect. So I wrote a series of questions to establish what hard research the 'water metering is good for the environment' argument was based upon and then I asked Clare Daly (Independent TD) to submit them for me to the Department of Environment.

And guess what the answer said? The Department of Environment did NO RESEARCH into the environmental cost of water metering! Nothing. Zip. Nada. Zilch.

Take a minute and think about the implications of this admission. The state embarked on one of the largest infrastructural project in the history of the state, involving about one million separate water meter installations, including the installation of 800,000 new water meter boundary boxes, without doing a full environmental impact study!

No research to establish the carbon footprint of a massive energy-intensive installation programme.

No research to establish the environmental cost / benefit of water meter installation.

I don't know what the precise outcome of that research would have been, but it should have done BEFORE any decision to commence with water metering was taken.

This admission has exposed the 'environmental benefits' argument for the lie that is always was. Water Meters and the Water Tax turn a natural resource into a commodity - a necessary step on the road to full privatisation.

My questions have now gone to Irish Water to see what research they conducted into the carbon footprint created by the water meter installation programme. Don't hold your breath."