Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

This day nine years ago, more than 88,000 people marched for the Right2Water campaign. One of its demands was to keep water permanently in public hands. Many parliamentary members of the Government parties signed the SIPTU petition - I am holding a photograph of one of them signing it - supporting this demand in 2015. On World Water Day tomorrow, I will chair a uniting the community public meeting at 7.30 p.m. at Wynn's Hotel, recognising that goal has still not been met. The meeting will outline a strategy to pressure the Government to keep its promise of a water referendum. This will be followed by two motions at the Unite conference in April to support that strategy. I am positive these will be passed.

Water service workers in local authorities are refusing to move to Uisce Éireann until this referendum takes place. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, promised a referendum, alongside a right to housing referendum. We were told this would happen early in 2023 and then last November. It did not. In reply to a parliamentary question in February, we were told it would take place in the not-too-distant future.

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