We must pay for Ballygowan-standard water

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton is as out of touch as Marie Antoinette for insisting people must pay for water because they get "Ballygowan-standard" supplies pumped into their homes, opposition TDs claim.

Mr Bruton was accused of “insulting” families in financial difficulties and his remarks were compared to the infamous quote attributed to the French queen: “Let them eat cake,” when told the poor had no bread.

Mr Bruton denied he and Cabinet colleagues lied to voters about the scale of water charges before the May local election campaign.

As critics warned that the pricing structure did not do enough to protect the vulnerable, Mr Bruton said it was time people were made to pay for such a “valuable resource”.

“It gives people the opportunity to manage their usage of what is a very valuable resource,” said Mr Bruton. “It costs us €1.5bn to produce this resource; we produce water to Ballygowan standards, if you like, and we have up to now not been charging for it, and it’s been run in a poor fashion, so we have to manage this resource effectively, And we have tried to structure the charge in as fair a way as possible to everyone and be aware of members of our family who are vulnerable.

“Clearly we have made provision for children, for the sick, for older people. After that, people have to economise on their usages. That’s what has happened in other countries that have charges.”

Mr Bruton’s comparison to Ballygowan water and the incentive that charges give people to economise enraged opponents of the charge, who pointed to ‘boil water’ restrictions in parts of the country, and said that with only a quarter of homes set to be installed with meters by the time the first bills arrive in January, people will find it hard to manage their usage.

Independent TD for Kildare North Catherine Murphy said: “It just proves how miles out of touch these people are. ‘Let them eat cake’ is a good comparison.”