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Updated Monday, 3 November 2014
LAST WEEK THEJOURNAL.IE contacted 225 Oireachtas members to see who intends on paying water charges – and who doesn’t.
Of the 171 politicians who responded, 17 told us they would refuse to pay their bill. Mary Lou McDonald, Pearse Doherty and Gerry Adams have subsequently said they will NOT pay, bringing to 20 the number of elected representatives refusing to comply.
The following TDs, and one senator, belong in the ‘no’ camp:
Some of them elaborated on their decision. Here’s what they said:
Tommy Broughan wants Irish Water to be abolished and for local authorities to re-take control of water services.
I’ve always been opposed to water charges, I walked out of the Dáil when the Bill went through.
The water tax is the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Richard Boyd Barrett
The level of non-cooperation and non-engagement with Irish Water shows that the Government should just give up now.
Dessie Ellis
I’ve made it clear I won’t be paying them, but I’m leaving it up to others to make their own decision.
I can well afford to pay water charges, but in solidarity with those who can’t, I will not be paying them.
I think it’s an unjust charge. Irish Water will eventually be privatised, the way it’s been set up is appalling.
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
I’m not paying, but I nor Sinn Féin are advocating a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ stance as it is an issue of personal choice and reflecting personal circumstances.I will stand with families regardless of their position on payment/non-payment.
Catherine Murphy
I am not opposed to a conservation approach to water charging; i.e. everyone gets a free allowance sufficient for cooking or hygiene, using the average consumption figures from other countries, and over and above that excess could be charged for.
I also don’t believe a big quango is required.
Senator Marie Louise O’Donnell
It’s a tough question to answer. Unless it’s enshrined in the Constitution that it won’t be privatised – then, under the current loose legislation, it’s a ‘No’. Though I do believe water must be paid for.
The following politicians don’t know if they will pay the charges or not:
Seán Fleming is one of the deputies on the fence, telling us:
I’ll wait and see … maybe water charges will be dropped before a bill arrives.
Senator Fidelma Healy-Eames is also undecided:
Irish Water needs to be disbanded and the Government needs to start again. It’s a complete mess.The Government needs to make up its mind whether its goal is water conservation or collection of a tax. You can only have conservation when everyone has a meter so that is not working.There is no public confidence in Irish Water. From what I hear and see, I expect there will be a protest of mass civil disobedience against payment and I’m talking from rural Ireland too, not just urban Ireland.
Maureen O’Sullivan
[The Government] should put the whole thing on hold until there’s a fairer deal, but also, in principle, I have a problem with the way water has become a profit-making commodity.I wouldn’t encourage people to break the law and the legality involved is really the only reason I would even consider paying the charges.
Independent Senator Gerard Craughwell said that while he intends on registering for water charges, he will refuse to share his PPS number. Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea did not repsond to our survey but recently said he would also not be giving his PPS number to Irish Water.
Craughwell added:
I would support a referendum on the ownership of Irish Water as I have a real fear that it will be privatised.
123 of the 169 politicians who responded to the survey said that they intend to pay.
Some 24 TDs and Senators said that they are not eligible to pay the charges as they have private wells or are on group water schemes.
The following members of the Oireachtas, including Environment Minister Alan Kelly, did not respond to the poll:
Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe told us that he didn’t want to share whether or not he’d be paying water charges in case it influenced others to follow his lead.
*Senator Jimmy Harte is currently recovering from a head injury incurred during a fall last year.
Additional reporting: Hugh O’Connell and Dan Mac Guill
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Can I have my money back now
It’s like’…..burning your furniture – to keep warm!
Why are PwC saying this instead of IBRC and NAMA?
As property prices start to rise nama , ibrc start to dump property
Can someone explain why?
Dumping loans philip, not property. They’re Dumping the loans as they’re non-performing and want to get them off the balance sheet.
If they had the patience, they’d put arrangements in place to allow the properties to return to positive equity and then seek a sale, this recouping more of the tax payers money.
Unfortunately, they’ll sell the loans for a discount and allow the new purchasers to do this and net a tidy profit.
The article outlines that IBRC (IBROKE would probably be a better name) will offload € 15 billion in loans.
Yet the linked article tells us that IBROKE have already offloaded 90% of its loanbook, € 19.8 billion out of € 21.7 billion leaving just € 1.9 billion on hand.
This can only mean, if the previous article is correct, that it is NAMA that is offloading the majority of the loans.
Why the subterfuge?
Why make people think that this is some kind of joint enterprise when it is NAMA that is leading the charge?
Have the shiny suit brigade from the canal something to hide?
Given their obsession with secrecy it would not surprise me if they have, perhaps selling the loans to some preferred customer with an inside track at a serious discount.
The way things go it will all be wrapped up before we know anything, plus ça change.
Who in their right mind would buy this junk?
It might only be worth 30% of face value but if you buy it for 20% it’s a good deal. For the buyer anyway.
@ Irish Revolution
The Banks?
Hedge funds bought it. They will now sell off all the ghost estates etc at a lower price so people that have houses for sale at the min will eventually have to sell for half or take them off the market.
Fab house here in drogheda asking price €325. Hilarious. You could now nearly get a house for that on raglan road or ailsbury road!! So that house is realistically worth less than €150 really.
People and notions ha
What about Bank of Scotland selling on my mortgage & others in their Irish portfolio to a company called Tanager Ltd.
I’m in a tizzy all day because I don’t know what it means for us.
have your say