“Compliant Households must get Water Charge refund” Ryan

Brendan Ryan, Labour TD for Dublin Fingal has called on compliant Households to receive a refund on Water Charges should the charges ultimately be scrapped by the new Government.

Ryan "The political fudge which has been agreed by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael is essentially a 70 page agreement which places power over the good of the country and at its heart contains an accord on Water Charges which constitutes naked political cowardice. These two Parties have made mugs out of compliant Households who paid their Water Charge over the past 18 months and these people should be first in line to receive a full refund if Water Charges are scrapped during the lifetime of this Government. My colleague Willie Penrose TD has said he will take a class action suit on behalf of compliant Households who have been sold down the river. Labour believes in a long term plan for modernising our water infrastructure, removing boil notices, repairing pipes and improving treatment.”

Ryan "Irish Water is a national utility in public ownership. I believe the debate around Irish Water should move towards building trust in the utility and protecting it further in public ownership to help build that trust and also to move the charging system towards an ability to pay. This would be a progressive, environmental Left response to the existing challenges of Irish Water. Scrapping the charge will result in billions of euro worth of infrastructure investment transferring back onto the State's balance sheet competing with Health, Education and Housing for funding from the central pot. Important projects for Fingal such as the Rush Waste water Treatment plan are now thrown in doubt due to this political fudge. Essentially it boils down to FG and FF preferring a grubby little power deal over the needs of the people of Dublin Fingal such as residents in Rush and throughout the County.”