Debate contribution: NI Water Challenges
Debate contribution by Mr Alex Easton on .
- MLA
- Mr Alex Easton
- Party at the time
- Independent
- Date
- 8 April 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- NI Water Challenges
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4481680
Read the official Assembly record
Text
At the outset, I reiterate my opposition to water charges. Our residents already pay for their water, and I am opposed to double taxation. Water is vital to life, and an efficient sanitation system is vital to the health of everybody. We saw during the pandemic how we shared responsibility for public health, and access to clean water for all is a basic pillar of our public health system. For too long, there has been an extreme lack of investment in our infrastructure, which is now having a major impact on the system. That leads us to question how we are going to pay for the required work to upgrade our system. We need to have a mature conversation about where public money is being spent — and wasted — before we decide to increase the burden on hard-working families. For decades, we have paid for water as part of our rates bills. Our bills used to be itemised years ago, but that was quietly removed. Itemisation needs to be reinstated so that we can see how much we are already paying for water infrastructure in our rates bills. I am concerned that having separate water charges could lead to a greater division between richer and poorer members of society. I am concerned about those people who are already making choices between heating their homes and eating having the added worry of having potable clean water, worrying about what it is going to cost them to run the washing machine or have showers for a whole family, for example. Clearly, our infrastructure needs to be fixed as we are leaking away lots of our water due to the lack of investment. That needs to be addressed in a manner that does not add stress to those households already struggling to pay bills. Concerns have been raised many times about the governance procedures at Northern Ireland Water, as well as the value-for-money aspect. The issue is complex, but government bodies and Northern Ireland Water getting their house in order and avoiding wastage is a priority that must come higher than implementing more charges on already struggling communities. I also take issue with the consultation process that the Secretary of State launched several months ago. There were four questions to answer, none of which made it easy for people to say that they do not support water charges, so, in answering the questions, people need to be clear that they do not agree with their introduction. I fully support the proposal for a proper plan on the matter from the Infrastructure Minister. That is necessary, for if we fail to plan, we plan to fail, which is not an option for residents or our business communities. My insight is that any imposition of charges would place an outrageous additional burden on Northern Ireland households, especially our low-income families, and inevitably exacerbate poverty that is already at unacceptable levels in this part of the United Kingdom. In practical terms, we need the conversation's alternatives to be outlined. For instance, what would a public education campaign look like that addresses the incentives required for measures such as the installation of effective water conservation appliances? What more can government do on efficiency and addressing water leakages? Let us look to government, not to the consumer. I welcome the Infrastructure Minister's broadening of the conversation by involving stakeholders with Northern Ireland Water early on and learning from good practices, as previously noted in the House in connection with the Belfast Living with Water scheme. In conclusion, I welcome the Minister's openness to doing things differently. A successful research-informed, evidence-based-options approach is the correct start, but I will not support the introduction of water charges.
618 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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