WORDING ON WATER REFERENDUM WELCOME

Labour spokesperson on Water, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has welcomed that the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government has contacted the Attorney General on wording of a potential wording of a referendum on public ownership on water.

“It is welcome that the Department of Environment has taken on board many of the proposals in our Labour Party submission to the Expert Water Commission, including a referendum to ensure our water infrastructure remains in public ownership.

“My colleague Willie Penrose published a Bill in July last year outlining those principles and calling for an amendment to our Constitution. The Labour amendment would ensure that the electricity, gas and water networks continued to remain in public ownership.

“It is vital that citizens around the country have absolute confidence that the water infrastructure will remain in public ownership.”