Fine Gael not budging from Irish Water stance, says Michael Healy Rae

The issue of Irish Water is being seen as a stumbling block to the formation of a new Government.

Fine Gael not budging from Irish Water stance, says Michael Healy Rae

The issue of Irish Water is being seen as a stumbling block to the formation of a new Government.

The country's two largest parties - who have yet to talk - appear to be growing further apart on the issue.

Reports today claim Fianna Fáil are working on a Bill to scrap the utility, while Fine Gael have insisted they will not wind down Irish Water.

Independent Kerry TD Michael Healy Rae, who has been taking part in negotiations with both parties, said that people are losing their patience with politicians over their failure to form a coalition.

"Yes, Irish Water was discussed and Fine Gael weren't budging from anything," he said.

"In fairness to them, they dealt with all the matters that we had to deal with and they didn't back from anything, and they gave us their views.

"You can talk about all the problems, but at the end of the day, this comes down to numbers - who's going to vote for and who's going to support who for Taoiseach?

"People's patience with this whole process is running very thin."

Sean Canney, an Independent Alliance TD for Galway East, blamed his Leinster House colleagues for the stalemate.

“There’s a hell of a lot of TDs, including Sinn Fein and Anti Austerity [Alliance] people, who have policies, and they want to do this, that and the other, and they have not engaged on minute with anybody to try and help form a Government,” he said.

“We need to put focus on them and say: ‘What were you elected to do?’.”

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