Water charges dispute off the boil as parties finally sign off on a deal
After reaching a boiling point on the issue of water charges, it appears the two biggest parties in Dáil Éireann have received legal advice allowing them to revert to a deal done two weeks ago.
There was the talk of a snap election, of the confidence and supply agreement being abandoned and of EU fines over water wastage. It seems now, following more legal advice, the parties that command the most Dáil votes and, therefore, control the passing of legislation have reached a compromise.
After yesterday’s meeting, the future of water services may look like this:
- The current regime of water charges will be scrapped and €160m in paid bills refunded;
- New legislation will include a reference to fines for “excess” usage;
- The energy regulator will decide what is considered excess use, with the proviso the average use is currently estimated to be 133 litres per person per day;
- Building regulations will decide whether new home builds will be fitted with water meters.
They were the latest legal recommendations given to the 20-member committee after months of hearings. Both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael sources were content with the recommendations which are radically different from terms agreed last week.
The row over charges last week erupted after FF reneged on a deal to back the metering of new builds, a scenario which would see over 500,000 homes metered over the next two decades.
The party had also supported the removal of excessive use from the report, provoking FG to claim Europe could impose tens of millions of euro in fines.
The crunch issue was over the terms on how a water allowance would be agreed. Fianna Fáil said they reneged on the old deal when Fine Gael no longer agreed that excessive use or wastage would be when a person used more than the daily allowance of 133 litres.
This was the deal breaker. And it was the central issue which led to threats by Fianna Fáil to collapse the government support pact with Fine Gael, especially with the Government refusing to implement the committee’s recommendations.
Nonetheless, by Sunday, there was the talk of peace and the megaphone politics stopped. Cynics would say FF’s meltdown over the original plan was orchestrated to detract from the “victory” being claimed by left-wing parties. TDs Eoin O’Broin and Paul Murphy walked the plinth in Leinster House last week announcing the end of water charging was in sight. Fianna Fáil needed to gain control.
And so, by the time the final legal advice dropped yesterday, they were happy to do a monumental flip flop (again) and so fall into line with Fine Gael’s terms.
Deputy Murphy put it bluntly yesterday: “Legal advice containing a basic factual flaw seems to be relied upon to provide cover for Fianna Fáil climb back down the hill they had climbed up last week. They seem to be agreeing with Fine Gael, Labour and the Green Party to include excessive usage charges, compulsory metering of new builds and to dramatically reduce the allowance for households.”
In what has become a mixture of the Twilight Zone and Groundhog Day, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have gone full circle through a circus of threats and squabbles to come back to what they first agreed. Indeed, their fluid positions has made the whole process of negotiating the funding the future of water services a total farce. Gone are concerns about the environment. This has been political theatre at its worst.
Why haven’t parties dedicated as much energy and political skill to sorting out housing, childcare, insurance premiums and day-to-day costs for families?
When you think about the greater needs of Irish people that must be addressed, water charges are way down the list. Time to end this farce that is consuming the election concerns of politicians.
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