WATCH: Labour Minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin calls for vote on Irish Water ownership

A Labour minister has said the issue of a referendum on retaining Irish Water in public ownership should be assessed during the lifetime of the next government.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said that a vote on ruling out the privatisation of the utility could allay people’s fears and help build a level of trust around taxation.

The suggestion by the junior justice minister is expected to throw the contentious issue of Irish Water and charges back into the debate for the Coalition in the election campaign.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny last year ruled out holding a referendum. It remains unclear what his position and that of other parties will be ahead of the general election.

Mr Ó Ríordáin told the Irish Examiner the issue of public ownership of water could be reviewed by a constitutional convention.

“It’s interesting talking to people as you pare back the reasons why they have an issue with it [Irish Water]. More often than not it comes back down to this issue of lack of trust that the entity will remain in public hands.

“But if it would allay people’s fears and build a level of trust around taxation and services delivery...

“They think they [taxes] are going through a big black hole of wastefulness. They don’t see a connection between what they pay and what they get and there’s an underline suspicion within the Irish Water scenario that the money being raised is not necessarily going to benefit the public utility, which it is.

“If it was to finally put to bed, that issue, and maybe as a new dispensation to say this is the issue around if we are going to have a modern public utility, well then let’s have that conversation. If we want to have a referendum on this, let’s have a referendum on this.”

The Dublin Bay North TD said there were complications holding a referendum and this had been discussed at the height of anti-water charge protests by coalition ministers.

“What would happen then is in five or 10 years, people may say or ask for other referendums for things to always be in public ownership.

“They [ministers] have done, yes. The debate was so fraught and went in so many different directions.

“To take over an entire nine-month period in government on a debate around a referendum.

“I think it is worthy to put that issue into a constitutional convention and to discuss the possibility of having a referendum,” added Mr Ó Ríordáin.

Opinion polls show that a majority of the public support holding a referendum on the issue.

Article 10 of the Constitution deals with ownership of natural resources.

Referendum proponents, including the Greens, want to amend this to block water privatisation.

The Coalition last year, for its revised water charges bill, legislated so a future government “shall” hold a non-binding plebiscite should the issue of privatisation arise.

However, it was admitted by Environment Minister Alan Kelly that this could be reneged on.