Abolish Irish Water
Irish Water was set up on a ‘Public Utility Model’, 51% state owned, with the balance coming from private funds.
It is run as a commercial concern with shareholders seeking maximum returns and lenders demanding commercial interest rates. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) who proposed the model for Irish Water stated that, ‘The public utility model is the most attractive proposition to lenders and is understood by investors who lend to water sectors in other countries.’
People Before Profit favours the abolition of Irish Water. It has been set up as a Trojan horse for commercial interests.
A central body to manage our water and wastewater services is not necessarily a bad idea in itself. Ireland is a small country and water supplies don’t match up, or stop at, county, town or city boundaries. Major investment is required to fix a leaking system and to ensure clean water supplies for the future.
However, this can be done by a public agency that is not beholden to private interests. For this reason People Before Profit support the idea of a National Water Body under public control and working alongside local authorities.
Metering
People Before Profit rejects the argument that public money should be spent on metering, rather than fixing the piping infrastructure. Metering of water will cost an estimated €1 billion, but this money would be better spent on fixing leaking pipes.
Countries with the highest level of metering, such as the US and Canada, also have the highest consumption. Around 61% of Canadian homes are metered, yet consumption per person is 300 litres a day. In the US where metering is nearly universal, consumption is 425 litres per person per day, almost twice and three times respectively the Irish consumption of 160 litres.
Investment in the infrastructure and its maintenance would be more cost efficient in conserving water than metering.