Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Last week I spoke about the secrecy surrounding the establishment costs of Irish Water and the failure, in particular, to provide any detailed responses to a series of parliamentary questions on that subject over the previous 12 months. I went on last Thursday to ask the Tánaiste if he could give me a reason the Government agreed to approve bonuses to the staff of Irish Water - the State will be liable for up to €2 million in respect of bonuses - and what was the rationale behind that, particularly given the comments of the Minister, Deputy Burton, the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, and the Minister, Deputy Howlin, who were so strongly opposed to the idea of bonuses in situations like this. The Minister, Deputy Burton, said she would raise it at the Cabinet today and with her fellow Ministers. Can the Taoiseach explain why the Government decided to approve bonuses for the staff in Irish Water and can he confirm if the Minister, Deputy Burton, raised it with him and with other Ministers at Cabinet today?

A significant number of senior staff at Irish Water have been recruited from local authorities, from Bord Gáis and from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Can the Taoiseach confirm that such staff received generous lump sums on retirement and pensions before moving on to Irish Water. Can he give details of that to the House and can he confirm that? Why was there so little emphasis on external recruitment to Irish Water?

The Taoiseach said to me last week that Irish Water would be subject to proper parliamentary questions and responses. In an extraordinary contribution to the Private Members' debate that evening, the Minister, Deputy O'Dowd, flatly contradicted the Taoiseach and said that the opposite would be the case, that the Minister would not be giving any detailed responses in regard to Irish Water into the future. Last evening Deputy Barry Cowen belatedly received an apology from the Secretary General of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government because of the failure to give adequate responses to his parliamentary questions, but bizarrely in the context of that telephone conversation went on to confirm that there would be no future responses to parliamentary questions on Irish Water given in this House. Who is correct? Is it the Taoiseach, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd or the Secretary General of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government?

Returning to my first question, why did the Taoiseach approve the bonuses? Can he confirm, and does he believe it is acceptable, that staff, including senior managers, moving from local authorities would receive generous lump sums, and bonuses now in Irish Water, as a result of this operation?

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