Louth TD says people 'can't trust' government on water charges

Local Sinn Féin TD, Joanna Byrne has said that "people can’t trust this government when it comes to water charges" and that a "mammoth amount of work" needs to be done in Louth including in parts of north Louth that "experience water outages and discolouration issues all too frequently"

Speaking in the Dáil on the Sinn Féin motion on the repeal of water charges bill, Deputy Byrne said, “when it appeared in the news, that a recent briefing document prepared for new Housing Minister James Browne lists finalising the draft household water conservation charge regulations as a high-level priority, my and the majority of the country’s reaction was, “they can’t be serious”. 

“How many times do the government parties need to be told “no means no” before it sinks in? Of course, there was swift denials from the Taoiseach and other actors, but we’ve learned not to trust Fianna Fails word when it comes to Irish Water, or Uisce Eireann or whatever name the state water entity gives itself in the future. 

“The Fianna Fail 2016 General Election 'An Ireland for all' manifesto states that their core priority includes 'Abolishing Irish Water and Water Charges'. Just like their promise that they would deliver 40,000 housing units last year on the lead up to the general election, that pledge was misleading. 

“The people of Ireland cannot take the Fianna Fail / Fine Gael Governments word when it comes to Uisce Eireann or water charges, be it by conservation charges or metering or however they wish to label it and dress it up. That is why the Sinn Féin Water Services (Repeal of Water Charges) Bill is needed. To ensure that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael manoeuvrings and attempts, by hook or by crook, to introduce water charges on the general public do not succeed."

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Deputy Byrne continued: “If half of the energy was put into making Uisce Éireann fully fit for purpose, with sufficient capital funding, as is put into plotting to shaft the Irish people with water charges, we would all be a lot better off. 

“A mammoth amount of works needs to be done within Uisce Éireann in Louth. Parts of north Louth experience water outages and discolouration issues all too frequently. There are major supply issues around Clogherhead and Termonfeckin in south Louth. Above all, the communication between Uisce Éireann and the people it serves, and the elected representatives is atrocious. In my own experience, it took years to get an answer on capacity in Drogheda and south Louth.

“The final nail needs to be put into the coffin of water charges and that is what this Bill is for. The Minister's opposition, his deflection, and his blasé response by calling this a waste of time is shameful. 

Concluding, Deputy Byrne said: “Mark my words: the Irish people will not accept any steps of any kind to introduce water charges. Feet on the street and mass mobilisations in communities the length and breadth of the country stopped water charges before and if needs be, they will do so again."