This week the European body Eurostat examined how Irish Water was funded and it was found the Government could not shovel debts on the Irish taxpayer “off balance sheet”. Off balance sheet means that these debts wouldn’t appear in our national finances. It was back door borrowing and the Government has been found out. So taxpayers are now officially on the hook for the billions borrowed to set up Irish Water.

This confirmation that Irish Water has failed the market corporation test is the latest fiasco to hit the beleaguered utility company. Since its inception, and despite the numerous controversies which it has become embroiled in, the Government has continued to throw good money after bad in a vain attempt to keep this bonus driven state funded company afloat. The Government must wake up to the mess which it has created, take responsibility and abolish this wasteful entity.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that fewer than half of all Irish Water customers had paid their bill – proof that people are unhappy with the way the company has been set up and is being run. Now, it’s been confirmed that the company has failed to meet the Eurostat market test, which means the taxpayer will have to pump even more money into the already inflated quango. Despite ploughing almost €1bn into Irish Water, not one extra cent has been spent on fixing pipes or leaks.

The Government must stop deluding itself and realise that this Fine Gael inspired utility has failed spectacularly. Irish Water has already accumulated borrowings of €850m yet Minister Alan Kelly has refused to disclose what we are paying on these loans. We’ve reached a situation where taxpayers in Kildare and around the country are almost certainly paying a higher rate for these borrowings and now they will have to be fully accounted for on the State’s books.

Fianna Fáil is advocating a better model than Irish Water. We’re proposing to use a new delivery model to ensure a quality water service by using existing local authorities and a slimmed down National Water Infrastructure Company.