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Updated at 1.24pm
SINN FÉIN DEPUTY leader Mary Lou McDonald unleashed a tirade against Joan Burton in the Dáil this afternoon over what she contended was an attempt by the Tánaiste to avoid answering a question about water charges.
“You know what Tánaiste, if anyone had any doubt as to whether or not you gave a toss about struggling families, they’ve had —by your smart-alec, dismissive and inaccurate response — they have their answer.”
Oireachtas.ie
The row centred on a letter sent by Wicklow County Council to tenants in the Rental Accommodation Scheme — which is run by local authorities — warning them that they may face eviction if they don’t pay their water charges.
Addressing concerns raised by McDonald, Burton pointed out that Sinn Féin and independent councillors controlled the Council, and suggested local representatives should contact their county manager to discuss the situation.
But a fuming McDonald accused her of deliberately misrepresenting how government works, saying it was local authorities’ responsibility to administer policy laid down in Dublin.
“Smart-alec Tánaiste thinks it is smart to disregard the concerns that RAS tenants now have that their inability to pay your awful charge could jeopardise their home,” McDonald said.
“You stand up and give me a smart-alec response.
I’m sorry that’s not good enough … and I’m sorry if this breaches Dáil etiquette.
Who pays for water?
McDonald’s presentation of the Council letter in the chamber comes in the wake of uncertainty in recent days over the position of landlords whose tenants can’t or won’t pay their water charges.
Irish Water was telling people on Twitter yesterday that if a tenant refused to pay, the landlord would be held accountable. A revised statement today from the semi-state didn’t really clear the matter up, and Finance Minister Michael Noonan said this morning that more clarity was needed.
Indeed, Sinn Féin’s own Pearse Doherty even took to Twitter yesterday to try and find out what would happen in cases like the one being faced by the tenants in Wicklow…
Burton’s take…
Amid sustained heckling from the Sinn Féin backbenches, the Tánaiste told McDonald today that she should put a phone-call in to her own party’s public representatives in Wicklow.
She also talked up the water charges relief measures introduced as part of Tuesday’s Budget, which she said would benefit “something like 700,000 households”.
Oireachtas.ie
“That would be the first thing I suggest that your councillors advise the tenants of,” Burton said.
After McDonald’s ‘smart-alec’ comments, the Tánaiste changed strategy in her second response, talking up the various other measures introduced by ministers Noonan and Howlin this week which she said would benefit struggling families
“I’m not sure you have much experience of what it is like not to be well-off or to be unemployed,” she said…
But she was drowned out by a chorus of angry voices as she continued along the same tack, advising McDonald, essentially, not to lecture her on such issues.
“There’s an awful lot of angry men in Sinn Féin, I will say that,” Burton observed, as the heckling continued.
Lads, lads try and control it… It’s being turned on and off like a water tap.
“Try and just put a stop to it.
Burton eventually ran out of response time in the session, but she finished her answer by again advising Sinn Féín to take the issue up with Council management in Wicklow.
There is very little justification for entering into these public-private partnerships where the private company end up recouping their initial investment many times over within just a few years. They represent a poor deal for the State in terms of lost revenue. Surely borrowing the money would be more cost-effective?
@Sean: no brown envelopes that way
@Sean: Have a look at who’s invested in those private companies, that’s the reason right there. We’re being scammed.
@Sean: and have you evidence that they are recouping their investment ‘many times over’? The truth might surprise you.
@Aileen Lawlor: I’m not the one who made the claim. Let them produce the evidence.
All tolls charges should be scraped, we pay enough Taxes.
@Jimmy Pea: yes, let’s scrape those taxes.
Surely the revenue from the already paid for East link will cover a percentage of the proposed hike.
@The Bolt: Its been paid for many, many times over by now. That hike would be nice to get a ministers kids some PS5′s.
Every single penny of profit from tolls going into accounts setup and based in The Isle of Man as there would be absolute uproar if everyone was able to see the huge profits being made!
A classic case of the government upping prices with a flimsy excuse and without a backup plan for the public, forcing them to pay.
Clondalkin to Blanchardstown will take you 15-20 minutes by car on the M50, but well over an hour if you take public transport merely because there’s no direct route. Between 2 of the largest areas outside the M50 and 10k away from each other.
The toll bridges have been paid for many times over, and maintaining the roads isn’t going to be an arduous task with the heap of money currently being raked in.
“May”?? How about tell Eamonn Ryan to sort it out.
@Will Roche: he’d turn it into a bicycle lane
@Will Roche: Eamon told TII to do it
@Jonny Spuds: you’d be quicker getting from Bray to the Airport on the M50 on your bicycle most days…
There is no realistic and economic reason for an increase. Costs have not risen, there is no competition and they are already making huge profits. In fact the opposite should be the case, they should be handing money back to the government coffers
@BadBob: The contracts these PPP have is if the tolls don’t get a set amount of vehicles, passing through the government pay the PPP companies the difference.
But if the companies make a profit, the government doesn’t get a bean.
@BadBob: Are you living in the same country where prices are rising. I presume you mean none of the workers are getting paid any more since the last toll increase and on your planet, there is no construction/road maintenance inflation. I want to live where your fuel costs to move all this man and material does not exist. What world has competition for toll gate revenue- we already have different toll road operators. Maybe your world has no extra traffic congestion, car use and naturally road maintenance overheads. The cash for the eastlink already goes to DCC. The westlink funds pay the not insignificant ripoff price paid to take it public.
They don’t want to give with one hand and take with the other yet that’s what they have been doing for years so why stop now!
Why don’t the government call for fuel price reduction. Diesel in many areas €1.99 ltr yet I happened to get diesel at €1.80 ltr. Cost reduction not getting passed on and gouging by large forecourt operators going on
The result of the out-source-everything ideology of current parties in power. As with all other utilities, we are expected to pay for the cost of supply plus a hefty profit for one or other of the in crowd. When is the GE?
Only justification for M50 charge would be if they where actually building a secound level for more cars and a light rail system.
Can somebody in RTE please find the LLS interview in which Gay Byrne specifically asked (the week of the East Link Toll launch) how long we’d be paying. He was told that as soon as the cost of the bridge was paid (estimates suggested no more than ten years), the toll payment would be scrapped. That was a hell of a lot longer than ten years ago.
@Ernie Gallagher: Dublin City Council said they need the money so voted to retain the toll
Ye right.
Everyone who uses the road should pay, not just at a point you cross. If it goes to upgrading / maintaining the roads then put a 20c toll and relevant increase per vehicle, so at every bridge and capture all users, with a cap at the current price.
Ridiculous you only pay to use at a point. Get off before and drive around.
Can’t believe this government just keep hiking up prices and try to put a good face on it saying it’s. Ot the right time, like they are doing something positive by not letting hike happen just now.
Idiots.
@Rafa Condron: What the f. We have already paid for these roads and bridges you talk about. We are paying for their upkeep with every wage packet. This is about tolls from private companies making massive profits already and trying to make more…. Bull when they say it’s for increased upgrades, etc. That’s only a percentage of the money they make
@Rafa Condron: It’d cost you more to drive around.
We are all part of the rich man’s game of chess!! And we ain’t winning!
They’ll “call for them to be scrapped” and then they’ll say they tried when nobody listens
We are all part of the rich man’s chess game! And we ain’t winning!
have your say