THE Government's proposal to abolish urban water charges while leaving rural dwellers paying for their water was unfair, Mr Bobby Molloy (PD, Galway West) said.
It institutionalised the urban rural divide, he said during debate on a Fianna Fail motion which condemned "the total disregard for the welfare of rural communities" and the principle of equity.
Mr Molloy said rural dwellers would have to pay the higher motor taxes which the Government proposed to allocate to local authorities to compensate for the abolition of water charges.
Mr Eric Byrne (DL, Dublin South Central) said that Fianna Fail and the PDs were combining with the IFA and the ICMSA to manufacture an urban-rural divide on the issue. They blithely forgot that 55 per cent of rural households benefited directly from the abolition of local authority water charges.
A Government amendment approving its action on the water issue was passed by 69 votes to 60.