Daily
Dispatch Wednesday 18th October 2006
SDLP:
GOVERNMENT IN LEGAL MESS ON WATER CHARGES
SDLP Justice Spokesperson Alban Maginness said the Direct Rule
administration has seriously embarrassed itself by its conduct
of legislation to implement water charges in the face of massive
public rejection.
Speaking from the High Court, where the full hearing of the Consumer
Council’s judicial review had just been set for 6th November,
he said:
“The SDLP warned the Department for Regional Development
not to proceed with water charges, and more recently we warned
them not to proceed with the legislation on a shaky legal basis.
Now they have been forced to pull the next legislative stage out
of the parliamentary calendar and postpone it until after the
hearing, which means it goes back into the next parliamentary
session.”
Regional Development Spokesperson Margaret Ritchie said the Direct
Rule administration had been led into embarrassment by its own
arrogance and ineptitude.
She said: “The core of the judicial review case is that
the Department, by suddenly cutting off the consultation period,
demonstrated fairly conclusively that it had already made its
mind up on water charges and no facts or opinions arising in the
consultation were going to change that. But they persisted even
after the review application. At St Andrews they conceded on rates
and passed a decision on academic selection back to an incoming
Assembly, but they continued to exclude water charges.
“If they had been a bit more honest with people, if they
had not pressed on for political reasons that in fact have little
or nothing to do with the Water Service, they would not have got
themselves into this situation. The way out is very simple, and
more importantly it is the right thing to do. The government should
drop this legislation and let our Assembly and Executive decide
the future of our Water Service.”
