'A new beginning for Irish Water': Alan Kelly
Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly has said a package of measures on water charges announced today amounted to "a new beginning for Irish Water".
He admitted the Government had underestimated the scale and endeavour of putting in place a new utility to manage water charges.
"We tried to do in three years what other countries did in five-10 years," he said. "The charging regime was overly complex but we have now corrected those mistakes."
500,000 meters have now been installed across the country.
Commending the measures to the house, Mr Kelly said; "This gives every citizen of goodwill, every customer of Irish Water a firm, fair and affordable basis to move forward.
"I want my legacy to be one of achievement and not destruction. While we made mistakes, setting up Irish Water was NOT one of them."
Full text of Minister Alan Kelly's speech here.
