THE contentious issue of water charges, which generated heated debate at last year's Democratic Left annual conference, is to be raised again when the party's delegates meet at the weekend in Dun Laoghaire.
A number of motions reiterating total opposition to "this inequitable form of double taxation" have been tabled for the 1996 conference, which begins tomorrow evening and runs through Saturday.
This is the second annual delegate conference since the party went into coalition 18 months ago and, with the exception of the water charges issue, the assembly is expected to be low key.
A motion from Dungarvan calls on the conference to instruct all elected Democratic Left council members to vote in their respective authorities in accordance with party policy.
It acknowledges "the improvements which this party was responsible for, including in the Programme for Government in the situation with respect to water taxes.
Another motion, from Limerick East, congratulates the party in government for "ending the arbitrary cut off of water for non payment of service charges and introduction of tax relief for those who pay their bills on time". It also stipulates that "this was negotiated in a situation where every other party in the Dail is fully committed to retention of these charges".
The conference is also expected to confirm that the party should continue to seek an end to service charges and the introduction of a comprehensive reform of local government to guarantee adequate funding.
Motions on Northern Ireland call for the restoration of the IRA ceasefire so that all party negotiations can take place, and also say that both governments should regard punishment beatings as breaches of the ceasefires "with all relevant implications".
Another motion, from Northern Ireland Democratic Left urges the immediate transfer of prisoners from British prisons.
It says that a "reconstituted unarmed police force", to be known as the Northern Ireland Police Service, should be established, and that policing be the responsibility of a Northern Ireland assembly.