A Bill to allow a referendum to insert a clause in the constitution to prevent water services from being privatised was passed in the Dáil this week. Two years ago Brian Stanley introduced an identical Bill which was not supported by Fine Gael or Labour.
Speaking in the Dáil on Wednesday on the Thirty-Fifth Amendment of the Constitution (Water in Public Ownership) Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley said
“I would like to welcome this Amendment. I brought forward the Thirty-Fourth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, the intention of which was similar to that of this Bill. At the time I asked that a referendum be held on the issue on the same day as the same-sex marriage referendum. The provision of an additional ballot paper on that day would have copper-fastened the ownership of water services as a public asset.”
“The biggest concern people have is that water services will be privatised. We all remember what happened to Telecom Eireann, now Eir, in the 1980s. It was fattened, modernised with taxpayers’ money and sold off by the Government to vulture capitalists. The rest is history. We lost control of that service and do not want the same to happen to Irish Water.”
“Two years ago, when I tried to have my Bill introduced and passed through this House, the then Deputy leader of the Labour Party, Alan Kelly, told me that it was not needed and that the legislation in place would not be changed.”
“Insertion of a clause into the Constitution is the only way to guarantee water services will not be privatised. We do not want to see happen here what is happening in Detroit, USA with water services or in parts of Britain where private companies are charging poor households skyrocketing prices for water. The Bill is a step in the right direction.”
