Dublin water chaos shows system is not ready for water charges – FF

The latest chaos with Dublin’s water supply is further evidence that the water network is riddled with problems and is not ready for a charging structure, according to Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Dublin Darragh O’Brien.

Senator O’Brien commented, “This is not the first time that homes and businesses across Dublin have been hit with major problems to their water supply. It is a far too regular occurrence. Yet it seems that the Government is content to hit homeowners with water bills before addressing the severe problems with the infrastructure.

“Under Minister Phil Hogan’s plan, homeowners across Dublin will start racking up water bills from next October. If people are paying for their water, they have a right to expect a decent quality service. Regular disruptions to supply and severe restrictions on usage would be unacceptable when households are forking out hundreds of euro a year for water.

“Where is the water ‘reform’ that was promised by Minister Hogan when Irish Water was established? Why is it that Irish Water still has not carried out a full audit of the water supply as promised? Why has all the focus been on revenue generation instead of on fixing the problems with the infrastructure before charges are introduced?

“The water network must be fit for purpose before charges are introduced. It has been clear for some time that Minister Hogan has been just making this up as he goes along and simply hasn’t thought things through. Homeowners in Dublin and across the country need a guarantee from Minister Hogan and Irish Water that they will not be expected to pay for a woefully inadequate service from next year.”