Fianna Fáil submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Future Funding of Domestic Water Services

March 4, 2017

Rather than give interpretations of Fianna Fáil's submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services, we thought it best to include the whole document so you can read it for yourselves.

Barry Cowen with Fianna Fáil Committee members

You may be aware that the 20 member Joint Committee on Funding Domestic Water Services has reached what seems to be an impasse, 10/10 on whether to totally scrap water charges and metering or not, (see breakdown here), unless one of the four nonpartisan members of the Committee who have sided with Fine Gael's proposal i.e Jan O'Sullivan, Labour, Grace O'Sullivan, Green Party, Noel Grealish, Ind, and chairman Pádraig O Céidigh change their vote.

There now is an extension to the deadline until Monday week, to try to finalise a report which will then go to a vote in the Dáil. However, there are some rumours that this deadline may not be definitive and might be stretched out for weeks, even to May according to the Irish Examiner.

We believe that it is ridiculous to drag this process out any longer. If any of the above mentioned members of the Committee had regard for democracy they should agree with this proposal and send it to Dáil Éireann for a democratic decision. Let the Dáil decide.

In our opinion the intervention of EU Commissioners and Fine Gael Ministers is disingenuous, misleading and bordering on subverting the democratic process. They are merely putting forward their interpretation of EU law with the intention of frightening people into submission. It would be ridiculous if it had to go as far as the European Court of Justice (CJEU) for adjudication but in relation to EU law the CJEU is the only arbiter not EU Commissioners or Simon Coveney.

Finally let us say that we broadly agree with Fianna Fáil's submission. Our major reservation would be around theIrish Water Ltd and water infrastructure. However, that is not part of the remit of the Committee and can wait for another day.

Fianna Fáil Submission March 3 2017

Source: https://www.fiannafail.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Fianna-F%C3%A1il-Submission-to-the-JOCFFDWS.pdf

Irish Water Commission hobbled by EU before it even gets off the ground

July 8, 2016

Foreword

Below is an mind-boggling RTE News item which was aired tonight. It is a statement from Minister Simon Coveney which he gave after returning from a meeting in Brussels with the EU Commissioner Karmenu Vella.

The reason for Mr Coveney's journey to the admin capital of the European Union was to inform the EU Commissioner that Dáil Éireann agreed to suspend water charges for at least nine months and in the meantime the Government, as part of the programme for government agreed with Fianna Fail, was setting up an 'Independent' Water Commission in Ireland to look into the controversial water issue.

Although we in Buncrana Together see the aforementioned water commission as a delaying tactic by Fine Gael, kicking the issue down the roadhoping that opposition will evaporate, it is unbelievable the hard neck, the shameless audacity that Mr Coveney demonstrates by bringing back home these Brussels threats.

Talk about hobbling a horse, he more or less is telling the so called independent commission of experts that they have to come up with an answer that Brussels wants. Nearly every line in this statement is incredible.

RTE News Friday 08 July 2016 22.59

Expert Commission on Water Charges can not ignore EU rules, says Coveney

Simon Coveney held a meeting with the EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella in Brussels today

The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Simon Coveney has said the Expert Commission on Water Charges will "not be able to ignore" the European Commission's insistence that Ireland will be in breach of a key EU directive if it abolishes water charges.

However, he said that after its deliberations the Expert Commission will have to make its own "independent" conclusions.

Speaking following a meeting with the EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella in Brussels, Mr Coveney said the expert group was "about reasurring the public that this isn't a political decision" when it makes its final recommendations in four or five months' time.

However, he said that after its deliberations the Expert Commission will have to make its own "independent" conclusions.

Speaking following a meeting with the EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella in Brussels, Mr Coveney said the expert group was "about reassuring the public that this isn't a political decision" when it makes its final recommendations in four or five months' time.

However, he added: "The Commission did outline, in very clear terms, what their position is, in relation to whether or not Ireland can apply for a derogation to charging for domestic water supplies under the Water Framework Directive and it's very consistent with what they've been saying to MEPs when they've asked questions on this issue," said Mr Coveney.

He said it was a "good and frank discussion".

He said that Brussels would follow the Expert Commission process "with real interest and look at the outcomes when they come out".

He added: "The Expert Commission is about reassuring the public that this isn't a political decision. This is about Ireland fulfilling it's obligations under the Water Framework Directive and, what I would like is the independence of the [Expert] Commission to come with solutions and the reasons why they need to make them."

However, Mr Coveney acknowledged that the "[European] Commission's view is that water charges in some form are required for Ireland to fulfill its obligations under the Water Framework Directive."

He said he hoped that the Expert Commission process would come to its conclusions "without the heated political input and debate that we've seen around water debates for the past two years".

RTE News Friday 08 July 2016 22.59

The government has handpicked these 'water experts' to tell us what to do with Irish Water

June 30, 2016

AN EXPERT COMMISSION has been established to examine how Ireland should fund its domestic public water services.

The eight-person group will be chaired by former senator Joe O’Toole. They will be expected to report their recommendations to a special Oireachtas committee by the end of November.

Experts from across the globe have been called upon to give their insights into how the government should fix the Irish Water debacle.

They include the OECD’s environmental director Dr Xavier Leflaive and former Scottish minister Peter Peacock who currently chairs the Customer Forum for Water Scotland (where the average household pays about £339 per year for water).

Also on the new committee are Bill Emery, the chair of the Northern Ireland Utility Regulator; Brendan O’Mahony, the chair of the National Federation of Group Water Schemes; Sarah Hendry, an academic lawyer from the University of Dundee who specialises in water and environmental law; Dr Andrew Kelly, an environmental economist and founder of EnvEcon; and Gritta Nottelman, a strategy consultant for Waternet, the only water company in the Netherlands that is dedicated to the entire water cycle.

Minister Simon Coveney says he chose these people because they have the necessary professional experience to address the “complex issue” that is water charges in Ireland.

Once they report in November, that special committee will then have three months to decide what is the best course of action. Its recommendations will go to the entire Oireachtas by the end of February.

A vote on those final recommendations will be held by the end of March next year.

The commission, set up today, will be taking submissions from all interested parties, the government confirmed this afternoon.

It will consider the role of the regulator, Ireland’s environment obligations under domestic and international standards and the need to encourage water conservation.

The Commission is also tasked with assessing the maintenance and investment needs of the public water and waste water system and examining proposals on how the national utility in State ownership would be able to borrow to invest in water infrastructure.

Water charges have been suspended while this process is underway.

Original article; thejournal.ie, June 29, 2016