Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 133: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he intends to appoint a third commissioner to the Commission for Energy Regulation; if so, the timetable and means of that appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2900/12]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I intend to appoint a third commissioner to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) following a competitive process as early as possible this year. The Electricity Regulation Act 1999, provides for the Commissioners to be appointed by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

The process to fill the current Commissioner vacancy is underway. My Department is finalising the details of the recruitment process with the Department of Public Enterprise and Reform.

I can advise the House also that my colleague, the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, has published on 16 January a public consultation on the establishment of a Public Water Utility, which includes the proposal to confer responsibility on CER for the economic regulation of water.

The proposal to broaden the remit of CER to encompass the regulation of water has obvious implications for the technical expertise needs and staff complement of the CER and will be a very relevant consideration in the process of filling the third post of Commissioner. I should say however that the necessity for a third full time Commissioner in the CER stands on its own merits in any event because of the complexity and breadth of the energy regulation brief.

I am anxious that the selection of a new Commissioner to the CER gets under way as quickly as possible with the open competitive process to be organised and overseen by the Public Appointments Service in the next number of months.