John Halligan says will oppose vote on public ownership of water

Minister of State John Halligan has said he will support the Government in opposing a referendum on the public ownership of water services.

Mr Halligan told The Irish Times he was still committed to the abolition of Irish Water and the principle that water services should not be privatised.

He was responding to Independent TD Joan Collins’s call on him to vote in favour of legislation to allow for a referendum on public ownership of water services.

Mr Halligan also said he has signed up to the Programme for Partnership and to supporting the expert commission tasked with examining domestic water services.

In Jerusalem

He said he would not be in the country when the Bill is to be voted on. He is currently on Government business in Jerusalem.

Mr Halligan had been one of 39 TDs to support the 35th Amendment to the Constitution (Water in Public Ownership Bill 2016) Bill, which was signed on May 26th, 2016.

He is now a member of Government, which is set to oppose the legislation, which will be debated in the House on Wednesday.

Ms Collins had said Mr Halligan should reflect on the commitments he gave and support the legislation.

The Bill will need the support of Fianna Fáil to progress through the House. The party will make a decision on how it will vote at a parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday.

‘Dodged the bullet’

Ms Collins said: “Fianna Fáil has consistently dodged the bullet on this many times.

“They say they are against water charges but they consistently dodge the question when put under pressure.

“This is a piece of legislation that can make a difference and will make a difference to future generations.”

Fianna Fáil supported the abolition of water charges and measures to enshrine ownership of water services in the Constitution.

In the "Confidence and Supply" arrangement, it agreed to the establishment of the expert commission to examine domestic public water services in Ireland.

Ms Collins’s Bill is supported by Mandate, Right2Water and the Communications Workers’ Union.

Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats and AAA-PBP also support the Bill.

Right2Water's Brendan Ogle said the prospect of privatisation has not been discussed in the debate on water services.

Constitutional protection

He said now was the time to challenge Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and ensure constitutional protection to water services is secured.

Mr Ogle said: "In Detroit, Michigan, more than 70,000 people have had their water shut off, with similar processes occurring in Paris and Rome. Closer to home, more than one in five people in Britain now live in water poverty as fees are hiked up by private companies to prices families can't afford.

“It is vital that Ireland does not become the latest casualty of this drive to turn an essential resource into a commodity.”