Irish Government has flexibility on water charges-Brian Stanley TD
Sinn Féin spokesperson
on the Environment and Local Government Deputy Brian Stanley has participated
in a Brussels-based delegation on the Citizen’s Initiative on the Right2water.
Deputy Stanley was part of a group of
Irish-based Right2Water representatives invited to the European Parliament by
Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan.
Deputy Stanley
said:
"I welcome the opportunity to meet with European stakeholders and water representatives to discuss
the future of water services. We discussed what systems have worked and what
haven’t. In particular we focused on European cities such as Paris and Berlin and
various other regions, where privatisation didn't work and services had to be
re- municipalised.
I also took the opportunity to question EU Commission
representative Mr Jorge Rodriguez Romero from the water status unit on the
Irish derogation on domestic water charges regarding the clause in the EU water
framework directive.
The Irish government
had a derogation and now claim that has lapsed as it was included in last river
basin management plan. It is clear however from our conversation today that the
South can continue to have a derogation and have it included it on the next
river management plan. Furthermore Conor Murphy MP and former Minister for
Regional Development confirmed that the North continues to operate within EU
law without having to have a separate domestic water charge.
This Fine Gael/Labour government is not being
upfront and honest with people on this matter and I call on the Minister to
stop using the European Commission as an excuse for charging people twice for
water.”