Sir, – When the original water charges were announced the Government went to great lengths to inform the public that the charges had been set by an independent regulator. Much play was made of the word “independent”. The new water charging regime was determined by the Government not the independent regulator. Why do we need a regulator when the Government for political reasons takes unto itself the role of setting the water charging arrangements and tariffs. Sadly the “independence” of the regulator is another casualty of this great water debacle. – Yours , etc,
DONAL O SULLIVAN,
Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Sir, – If memory serves, the justification given by the Government for water charges was to conserve this wonderful natural resource by charging per unit, encouraging us to be economical in its use. It now seems the new charges are to pay the salaries at Irish Water. – Yours, etc,
BILLY HYLAND,
Naas,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – The news that local authorities will be obliged to pursue council tenants who do not pay their water charges should not unduly worry anyone, if past experience is anything to go by (“Council tenants face rent increases and possible eviction if water bills not paid”, November 20th).
In the 1980s and early 1990s, Kildare County Council levied water and refuse charges. There was a well-organised campaign of non-compliance, and such was its scale that the local authority was reluctant to take people to court. It threatened to have the charges levied against the property so that in the event of a sale they could be recovered.
Of course, this never happened, which meant that those of us foolish enough to have paid them effectively made a “voluntary contribution” to the authority’s coffers. If this was the experience when it pursued money it was owed, it’s hard to see a more enthusiastic response when it’s someone else’s money. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN McMAHON,
Naas,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – We have a known cap on charges to 2019 and a promise of a future cap beyond. Against that background, one has to ask the question why we are spending millions of euro on water meters and their ongoing installation, which is a red rag to a bull to the general public when their value and use are rendered obsolete by these new proposals. – Yours, etc,
DEREK MacHUGH,
Foxrock, Dublin 18.
Sir, – The row about water charges puts me in mind of a trait that has been shared by successive Fine Gael leaders. That of naivety. From Fitzgerald to Bruton to Kenny, Fine Gael leaders have steadfastly believed in the decency and good sense of the Irish citizen and legislated accordingly. They all came a cropper as a result. Fianna Fáil leaders like Haughey and Ahern have always had an instinctive understanding of the Irish people. They knew that we don’t want to pay more for decent public services – we want disposable income and lots of it. And, boy, did Bertie oblige us. As the health service stagnated we gorged ourselves on treats – drink, restaurants, holidays and cars. We all drank at the trough and we loved it.
With regard to Irish Water, Enda Kenny needs to understand what Fianna Fáil leaders have always understood: disposable income matters to the Irish; public services do not. – Yours, etc,
CONOR O’MAHONY,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – Colm McCarthy writes, “There are numerous industries in Ireland which must inevitably be operated as monopolies. These include electricity transmission and distribution, the gas network and the water industry” (“Water charging arrangements will prove to be temporary”, Opinion & Analysis, November 20th).
Equating finite, concentrated, fossil fuel and a renewable, widely distributed resource like water in this context is guff of the highest order. A citizen may haul water from a well with no more capital than the price of a bucket; comparing this to drilling rigs, gas wells, pipelines, pumping stations and the capital-intensive infrastructure required to extract, process, move, store and deliver fossil fuel is laughable.
In Ireland tens of thousands of households provide their own water individually, or collectively as part of community-owned cooperatives. In France, 36,681 communes provide drinking water and manage waste water. Only in Ireland, and perhaps North Korea, would public administrators and academics think that the best way to deliver a widely distributed, renewable resource to a widely distributed population is by an “efficient” centralised monopoly. The real surprise is not that Irish Water turned into another HSE but that anyone thought any other outcome was likely. – Yours, etc,
KEVIN SWEENEY,
Kilnaleck, Co Cavan.
Sir, – This week, Senator Paul Bradford warned us, “We must not give in to mob rule now of extreme left-wing socialists who look back to a panacea of the Soviet Union and North Korea”. Noel Coonan TD then warned us “we are facing what is potentially an Isis situation”.
And they say Leinster House is a dull, humourless place! – Yours, etc,
WILSON JOYCE,
Chapelizod, Dublin 20.
Sir, – Has the Government calculated how much it will cost the exchequer to administer the €100 rebate or has it not thought that far ahead? – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN BUTLER,
Malahide, Co Dublin.
Sir, – “Taoiseach tells Ministers to go out and sell revised water charges to public” (Front Page, November 20th). Good luck with that one, lads. I just hope you’re not on commission. – Yours, etc,
DERMOT O’SHEA,
Churchtown,
Dublin 16.