The scrapping water charges and retaining water in the public ownership is a matter of “political will,” Foyle Sinn Fein MLA Raymond McCartney.
He was speaking as his party colleagues and other TDs have tabled a Dáil motion to scrap water charges.
Mr McCartney said water charging and the privatisation of water services was “simply wrong and unfair.”
He added: "When Conor Murphy was the Regional Development Minister in the Executive, Sinn Féin blocked the introduction of water charges and retained water in the public ownership.
“At the time, many commentators and economists said that this could not be done.
"Water Charging and the privatisation of water services is simply wrong and unfair. It was wrong in north and wrong in the south. It can and must be ended.
"My Sinn Féin colleagues in the Dáil and a cross-party group have tabled a motion calling for water charges to be scrapped.
“If all the parties that campaign in the election to end these charges, voted in line with their manifesto then these charges and Irish water will be ended.
"Sinn Féin is opposed to water charges and the privatisation of water across Ireland and will continue to campaign on this issue."
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