THE Government has stepped up its attacks on the potential Fianna Fail/Progressive Democrat coalition on water charges with the Taoiseach calling on Fianna Fail to say where it stands on the issue.
As Ms Mary Harney and her party launched a strong defence of their support for water charges yesterday, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Howlin, accused them of making a "major gaffe" and digging a hole for themselves on the issue.
But Ms Harney repeated her view that water must be paid for, saying that those who say that water is free are not telling the truth. She rejected accusations that her statement on water charges had been a gaffe and dismissed suggestions that it would cause difficulties with Fianna Fail in negotiations to form a government.
Fianna Fail meanwhile steadfastly refused to give a view on the issue, although it is known to oppose water charges. The party's environment spokesman, Mr Noel Dempsey, said yesterday the party's view on the matter would be contained in a policy document on local government to be published within a fortnight.
Ms Harney told a press conference in Dublin yesterday that no matter who is in government they will have to find the money to pay for the water supply. "I don't believe in fooling the people. We can't go around giving limitless amounts of water free. We are the only country in Europe that does that. It is never a gaffe to tell the truth," Ms Harney said.
Urban water charges had only, been abolished in an attempt to save Labour Party and Democratic Left seats, she maintained. "The electorate are educated and, discerning and will recognise that this Government is trying to buy" their votes with their own money."
Last night, the Minister for Finance, Mr Quinn, vehemently rejected Ms Harney's suggestion that the abolition of water rates was an act of "electoral folly" which would impose massive hidden costs on an incoming government.
It's not true. Expenditure for the first three months, as indicated from our Exchequer returns, is on line or slightly below what we had committed. I made it very clear in regard to the nurses pay deal, which was accepted by the Government on the foot of a Labour Court recommendation, that the extra £49 million had to be found from within the existing budget. And we have not stepped outside our budget commitments at all," Mr Quinn said.
However, Ms Harney repeated that the Government's pledges on water would cost close to £1 billion over the next 10 years. This was disputed by Mr Howlin, whose spokesman said that the true figure was some £600 million.
According to the PDs, the £1 billion is made up of the cost of abolishing urban water charges, which will cost £50 million a year; £18 million a year in grant aid for rural water schemes; £7 million, per year in subsidies to group water schemes and a 10 year capital grants scheme of up to £230 million to the 130,000 households with private water supplies and the 12,000 without them. This adds up to £980 million over 10 years.
The party's finance spokesman, Mr Michael McDowell, said no other country in Europe would accept that a scarce resource such as water should be allocated on an unlimited basis free of charge. "There is one reason why this is the situation in Ireland it is not our climate or our rainfall, but political weakness and dishonesty," he said.