Cllr Mary Fitzpatrick said “Labour needs to stop posturing and, with Fine Gael, recognise that their strategy of pouring millions of euro into the establishment and maintenance of Irish Water is ill-judged.   By ploughing so much money into this bonus-driven quango, the Government has completely undermined people’s faith in the administration of this new water charge regime. I am calling on the Government to postpone the introduction of domestic water charges until there is an adequate and secure water supply and every home is equipped to measure and control their water consumption”.

Cllr Fitzpatrick, the Fianna Fáil Group Leader on Dublin City Council continued “Using the Social Protection budget to make bills slightly more tolerable for the most vulnerable people, without putting extra resources into that budget, is not real assistance – it is a short-term manoeuvre to try to get Labour through the upcoming elections.  This is the party that famously claimed, during the last general election, that they would stop the proposed Fine Gael water tax of €238 per annum if in Government”.

Cllr Fitzpatrick concluded “The Government is proposing to raid the Social Protection budget to introduce modest relief for the most vulnerable, at the same time there was no problem finding €80 Million to pay private sector consultants to advise on setting up Irish Water.  Raiding the Social Protection budget is just taking from the same people the initiative is supposed to be helping. The increasingly frantic spin from the Labour Party on the establishment of Irish Water and the introduction of new water bills to pay for it is causing untold confusion to the taxpayer”.

Ends

Comment or contact:

Mary Fitzpatrick (086) 812 6332

Rose Hayles (087) 2666006