Fine Gael Chairman Martin Heydon on 'The Floating Voter' Podcast - amusing glimpse of arrogance.

Martin Heydon, Fine Gael chairman

On ‘The Floating Voter’ Irish Independent, March 10, 2017 Fine Gael chairman, Martin Heydon, joins Kevin Doyle, Philip Ryan and Niall O’Connor to discuss the week in Irish politics including water charges.

This 15 min. extract was interesting but only out of curiosity rather than learning any pearl of wisdom from this right wing Fine Gael TD. 

After his belligerent contributions and occasional faux pas as part of the Fine Gael well drilled squadron that attended the Joint Oireachtas Water Committee on Funding Domestic Water, we get to once again listen to the bravado and seething arrogance of Martin Heydon.

He may well say that after spending months in the Water Committee that he has learnt a great deal but somehow that comment does not hold water.  In reality neither he nor Fine Gael have moved on from their time of majority rule in the Dáil when they set up what is now a discredited water policy of metering, full cost recovery and privatisation of Ireland's water resources.

It has been a mighty citizen's feat of knocking the Government off their austerity pedestal.  The Irish people, contrary to what Mr Heydon thinks, democratically removed Fine Gael’s mandate at the last General Election especially with regard to Fine Gael's water policy.

The following fact is an amusing eye-opener to Mr Heydon’s ignorance and blasé attitude on the water issue.  During the Joint Committee on Domestic Water, after hearing a submission from the much under resourced Public Water Forum,  he stated that it was the first time he heard of this body.   Kid you not that was Fine Gael Chairman's knowledge.  It is all on Oireachtas tape.

Doesn't that just sum up Fine Gael's attitude to citizen awareness around the water controversy?  Probably Fine Gael regarded the Public Water Forum as just another EU Water Framework Directive formality and with not much thought, set it up and gave it a budget of €80,000 annually.  Now that’s commitment for you.

Sorry there may be short starting delay .

Source:  Irish Independent, Mar 9 2017

650 MILLION EURO MISTAKE BY IRISH GOVERNMENT

The Irish Government has already spent €650 million on domestic meter's even though International Research has proven that identification of excessive use of water is not justified by the massive expenditure required by the installation of domestic meters.

They are also proposing to spend an additional 300 to 500 million Euros to complete the domestic metering programme plus an annual cost of €30 to 50 millionto administer billing associated with these meters.

Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Water Board's have invested their money in top of the range District metering to identify and repair leakage on the system while the Irish Govt allows 55% of treated water to go to loss.  Listen to Scottish Water answer Fine Gael's Alan Farrell on the 'absolute efficiency' of district metering in this Oireachtas video clip.

The problem is this -- the Government, intent on privatisation and charging households, were never interested in impartial international research and findings.    If they did they would never have gone down the road of domestic metering.  However, having done so, the Government will not now admit their 650 million Euro mistake.

They would squander 1 billion euros plus rather than admit they got it wrong. They will agree to anything and everything in order to proceed with domestic metering. 

Bottom Line - NO METERING

Irish Water guilty of sewage pollution at four plants across the country

Tests of the discharge showed excessive emissions of ammonia as well as phosphorus.

Image: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

IRISH WATER HAS pleaded guilty to breaking environmental laws following the discovery of sewage pollution at treatment plants in Dublin, Limerick, Galway and Cork.

The company, which is being prosecuted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court on to 11 charges under Waste Water Discharge (Authorisation) regulations. Irish Water had been prosecuted twice previously by the EPA and the court could hand down fines of up to €5,000 per offence, Judge John Brennan noted.

 

He adjourned the case for two weeks to consider what sanction he will impose.

Prosecuting solicitor Maeve Larkin said the EPA was proceeding with three charges in connection with a waste water treatment plant in Athenry, Galway. This facility takes in waste water for treatment and then discharges clean water into the Clarinbridge river.

It failed to complete required upgrades by the end of 2015 and had released water with excessive pollutants into the river and failed to report an incident. EPA inspector Una O’Callaghan said Irish Water had indicated to Irish Water that the required work to reduce ammonia and phosphorus in water had to be done by the third quarter of 2015.

Irish Water told the EPA it would comply by April 2016, then moved the date back to the second half of 2017 and Irish Water now says the upgrading work will not start until 2018 and is not expected to be completed until the following year.

Tests of the discharge showed excessive emissions of ammonia, which can kill fish, as well as phosphorus, which can be a risk to the aquatic environment, the court was told.

The EPA inspector agreed with Larkin that from July 20, 2105 until August 2016 there were 11 occasions when pollutant levels breached regulation limits. Judge John Brennan heard that ammonia levels varied between 10 and 73 times the limit. During the same period phosphorus levels were between four and 23 times the limit.

Irish Water failed to notify the EPA about a mechanical failure led to a breakdown at the plant on 4 May last year when 40% of the waste water taken in could not be treated.

 

Source: Journal.ie, Mar 9 2017