Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
FIANNA FÁIL TD Willie O’Dea has said he is refusing to give Irish Water his PPS number.
Speaking in the Dáil last night, he explained that he has received “no reasonable explanation from Irish Water as to why I, as a citizen, should submit my PPS number”.
“And I want to tell you Minister,” O’Dea said, directing his ire at Minister Alan Kelly, “I have absolutely no intention of doing so.”
“At the end of the day, when I get my water bill, I’ll pay it, but I will deduct the allowance to which I am legally entitled.”
He invited the company to come after him for this, if they wished.
The TD, speaking during a Fianna Fáil motion on issues surrounding Irish Water, spoke of his frustration at trying to get an answer from Irish Water on this issue, and said he was passed from person to person up the chain of management until he was ‘almost on the roof’.
On one occasion he got “straight to the top”… but it wasn’t going to be plain-sailing from there.
O’Dea accused the employee of “shameless blackmail”, after he was told to tell his constituents to provide their PPS number or they will not receive their allowance.
When asked on the issue of the rationale behind requiring the PPS numbers, the response wasn’t too clear, O’Dea claims:
He went into an explanation which, to my amazement, I couldn’t understand the language he was speaking, but after a while I figured it out. It was a variant of the English language, called ‘incoherent gibberish’.
This is unlikely to occur again in future as this evening Minister Kelly said that Irish Water will review how it deals with customers, and that access for members of the Oireachtas will be streamlined.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Good man Willie! That might be the beginning of a backlash from TD’S. ….though Murphy went one better and tore his up in The Dail. I used mine to light the fire at the weekend!
Meaningful opposition to an ill-conceived policy. I endorse O’Dea’s stance. They don’t need these numbers from people and have given no satisfactory explanation why they do.
A mass boycott will end this fiasco. Don’t Pay! And remember people, this is about CONSERVATION….
CONSERVATION of their CASH COW.
So access for oireachtais members will be streamlined. For everyone else it will be service as usual.
It’s extremely impressive the way Irish people have stuck together on this one.
Not getting my pps number or one cent from me. Not even getting my application pack back in the fire with it.
Here’s a thought – why not pay for water through general taxation & those who can’t afford to pay will still have access to water just for things like say – living? Oh wait – I forgot- we do that already now a private govt backed scam wants us to pay again & give them our private & personal details as well! PPS the fluich off – not happening!
And if your water isn’t safe to drink you can pay twice and then go to tescos and pay for it again.
Said it yesterday, it’s the start of them rebelling, looking for votes
Enemy of your enemy and all that, it helps to have TD’s rebelling against Irish Water. Wouldn’t ever vote for them though.
He is still signing up and paying his bill though. Just not giving his PPS.
Of course it is Willy, the fire has begun.
Hope the government have a few bob for the meter.
Thats a bit rich coming from a man who was a cabinet member when FF agreed to bring in water charges with the trokia.
To be fair, Fianna Fail only agreed to introduce the water charges. They didn’t agree to make a complete b*lls of introducing them.
FF made a balls of the HSE, FAS, electronic voting machines etc… (and our economy). Do you honestly mean to tell us that they wouldn’t have made a balls of Irish Water either. Give me a break….
Get out your gun Willie..
“Incoherent gibberish”???.
Sure Willie isn’t that your native tongue? ???….
Ah Tom, we all know Willie’s form – but nothing is to be gained from whinging about the past – if willie decides to be sensible for a particular issue, we have to support willie – there are not many other choices between politicians that make better sense.
This entire fiasco is as a result of the crass manner in which this unbelievebly stupid government messed about with the price structure. What exactly is the point of these so called “free” allowances? And why come up with another set of “free” allowances for children? If you want to compensate certain groups for water charges then simply do through the tax and benefits system.
The government have created the complex system imaginable where they have instructed a utility to operate like means testing social welfare entity who have to collect PPSNs just to operate a billing system. It is little wonder that there is chaos. Bord Gais have been running a perfectly good billing system for decades. It should have been a simple matter of adapting that system.
@ben but you forget the govt is made up of teachers. It is in their DNA to look for allowances and freebies.
And to add a CEO of Tierneys ability to waste be it Galway or Dublin and you have an administrative mess.
The whole approach needs to be wound back at least a year if not completely with no one in management positions from the cocos that mismanaged water to start with.
Not to mention the Dept of Env.
Too right Ben. Bord Gais template was established. Wheel was invented and working perfectly. Enter the consultants and their hefty invoices…
The reason they want the PPS number is to sell it back to the department of social protection and the revenue commissioners.
Both departments will use it to cross check and identify frauds in claims for social welfare and tax allowances.
That sounds like a great idea, so it could actually save the state money which could then help to reduce taxes.
@dan It will have some people scared.
It will turn out to be the most valuable database available to the state.
One possibility now is to directly link payment of benefits / allowances to non payment of utility and state taxes.
Last week’s budget gave a clear hint of this: a 100 tax relief if you pay your water bill. Imagine a tax relief for paying a utility bill.
Got to be some serious questions about state assistance for a commercial organisation.
Next application is former minister Pat Rabbit’s communications tax. The department must be laughing their heads off: The data is ready, start collecting
One hole in that theory they only want one pps number from an adult in each house. So house with more than one adult only needs to supply one pps number
Oh crap, I have been claiming dole for my 5 month old baby, I had better fess up or them pesky irish water officials will come for me.
you would worry if they were that organised boildy eggs – these Irish water boyos are a haphazard mess and could do anything.
omnishambles is what it is
Willie wont give his PPS but if they force the issue they’ll get his PPK.
Brilliant!
Love him (as few do) or hate him (as most do), he is right (as we all agree).
Can the journal clarify – is it against the law to not register with IW? Is it against the law to not provide IW with your PPS?
The Internet is not a reliable place to get legal advice. Engage a solicitor and get the proper information. Free advice is a false economy.
Pot and kettle come to mind.
Here’s my take on the whole PPS number thing. Irish Water know that they’re going to have a serious number of people who won’t pay. So in the planning they decided to ask for a PPS number from all customers to give the impression that if you don’t pay they can just get revenue to collect it from your wages or benefit etc, ala property tax, hence putting fear in people to sign up. Most of us know that they can’t do that but a lot don’t and therein lies the problem.
The amount of people who I’ve met recently have all had the same sentiment and a good few had already sent back the forms.
I really don’t see why IW needs your PPS number in the first place. Every house is entitled to the basic household allowance and IW are saying that the PPS number is needed to ensure that you’re living at that address. I am sorry but there’s other ways of ensuring that you’re living at the address rather than handing over an utility company our PPS numbers. Surely IW should be clarifying that the house is occupied rather than looking for proof of who’s living at the address. IW would also be able to tell that the house is occupied by the information gathered from reading the water meters. They’re also seeking the PPS numbers of children for their additional allowances and yet if there’s only adults living in the household you can tick the box confirming that the household size is six or nine, and there’s no way of IW verifying what you’re telling them is actually the truth, because they’re not seeking their PPS numbers. The whole thing is a shambles.
Go away Willie, two faced hypocrite..
This is the same Willie O’Dea of fianna fail who voted through the eu/imf bailout that contained a requirement for water charges? Don’t be fooled!
March in Cork next Sat. 25th @ 2pm.
Detroit officials bristle at UN visit, scolding over water shut-offs
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/10/21/detroit-disappointed-in-uns-non-fact-finding-visits-about-water-shut-offs/ -
So can Irish water really reduce our water to a trickle and breech our human rights ?
iw is holding govt. waivers at ransom and blackmailing the irish people for their personal data, not while im still breathing. i am not putting my name on any form i deem to be illegal and when i get my fulll bill without waivers or consetions i will then go to court against iw and the govt for bullying blacmail and unfair equality as i have not recieved my waivers that im intitled to. And legally the courts cannot be complicite with blackmail .
I hope you manage to phrase your legal argument better than you post
The PPS number is wrong but Mr O’Dea is just using this as a political football. FF got us in this mess and would be selling off the silver too if they were in government. Don’t see him wanting to abolish this extra tax as we are paying already. Don’t see him complaining on the quangos that is Irish water, oh wait FF invented quangos. Remember Shannon Heathrow route where was his voice then. All these career politicians are the same. Not worth the money they are paid.
The legend that is Willie O Dea lol most people in Limerick have no time at all for Finna Fáil but most love Willie. Lol he works hard locally that’s for sure but I reckon it’s his tash . Not seen the like I’d such a magnificent Tash since Magum PI. Lol
Catherine please name one thing the ODea has done in 35 years that has benefitted Limerick and not himself???
Willie is a clown, but I love the “variant of English called incoherent gibberish…”
Willie is a clown, but he speaks his mind alright, even when that mind might seem a little off with the wee gun totin fairy folk leaping about on mushroom clouds.
What IS the reason for the PPS numbers? Why cant they explain properly why Irish water needs them? Why the feck cant these Irish Water people explain themselves properly after spending mountains of money on it.
Its stories like these that could have been easliy avoided if the mush brained government had any cop on. This government clearly do not know what they are doing or how to convince the public of the merits of their policy without serious foot in mouth disease
The campaign could do without the likes of Willie O Dea.
Be a man for once Willie.. Stand up for the people of Ireland and don’t be spouting shite about your PPS number… its’ the will of the people you should be supporting and not the Cronies… … ” but your a crony yourself ..unless you can prove us wrong……… Take Aim Willie and fire a shot at Irish Water .. admit that we are being screwed…
Sorry Willie O Dea I thought all politicians were fluent in ‘absolute gibberish’.
have your say