The Government is listening to the concerns the public has over water charges and is keen to ensure the charges regime is fair and something the public can have confidence in, Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin has said.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny yesterday said the public would be provided "clarity" and "confirmation" on the details of water charges next week as he was again faced by protestors opposed to the development in Galway.
Speaking ahead of today’s Cabinet meeting where the water issue will be discussed, Mr Howlin said a group of senior Government officials had been working on a plan to “comprehensively” address issues raised in the public discourse on the water charges.
“I have said repeatedly that the Government has been listening to real concerns of people and we want to give clarity on a permanent basis so that people understand the charging system is fair and it is affordable and it gives a time horizon that people can have confidence in,” he said.
Asked if a lessening of the charges would have an impact on his budgetary planning, Mr Howlin replied: “We will have to see all of it in the round. We’ll see what the final decisions that are made are and we’ll be able to announce them and answer all the questions once all the pieces of the jigsaw are in place.”
On the delay in confirming the costs of water, Mr Howlin said people needed to know with “clarity” how they would be affected by the regime and, as no bills are due to issue this year, he said it was “important to get it right” when the Government made the announcement.
The Government is also due to publish a report today on the investigation of serious crime by the Garda which is expected to contain criticisms of the force and recommend the decentralisation of the approach to investigating serious offences such as murders, rapes and organised crime.
The report by the Garda Inspectorate, which advises the Government and Garda on policing reform, has been conducted following allegations by Garda whistleblowers that many serious crimes were not investigated fully.
Asked if people should have confidence in the force, Mr Howlin replied that he believed the public did have strong support for gardaí but that “doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a police force that is completely accountable and open to reform and change in the same way as any other institution of the State”.
“I believe the guards are up to that. I believe there is an embracing of it,” he said.
Asked if the senior garda numbers would be reduced as a consequence of the report, Mr Howlin said he did not want to pre-empt the decisions of Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald.
