Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We will discuss the establishment and future governance of Uisce Éireann with representatives from Bord Gáis Networks. Is that agreed? Agreed. I welcome Mr. John Mullins, chief executive officer, Mr. Michael O'Sullivan, group finance director, Mr. Ger Cowhig, programme manager, Irish Water programme, and Mr. Paul O'Donoghue, Irish Water programme, on behalf of Bord Gáis Networks. Thank you for your attendance, gentlemen. I draw your attention to the fact that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this committee. However, if you are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence in respect of a particular matter and you continue to so do, you are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of your evidence. You are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and you are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, you should not criticise nor make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such as way as to make him, her or it identifiable. The opening statement and any other documents that you have submitted will be published on the committee website after this meeting.

Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

The launch of Uisce Éireann is a big step in terms of Irish public administration. I congratulate Bord Gáis Éireann on having assumed responsibility for the task that lies ahead. We are moving to a new era in which, for the first time, Irish citizens will be asked to pay for water. It is a necessary step for environmental and economic reasons. Nevertheless, it is a lot to ask. If we are to ask the people to accept this we must ensure that the service we provide in terms of delivery and quality of product is second to none. I am keen to hear how the objective will be achieved and for the witnesses to address several specific areas in their presentations. One of the most important among these is the issue of metering and, in particular, where the meters are to be placed. All current indications are that the meters will be placed outside the properties of private owners, and many reasons have been given for this. The two main reasons I have heard relate to the difficulty of getting an owner's permission to enter a property and the need to make the owner responsible for the maintenance of piping on his or her private property. The first reason is insurmountable. All ESB meters are placed on the sides of houses, which are the property of the owners. Let us leave aside the second reason for the moment. I will focus on the cost of putting the meters in the ground. Approximately 1.25 million meters will have to be installed in the coming years. If each of these is to be put into the concrete pavement or if concrete must be broken through in each case, it will increase the cost significantly and add to the environmental damage. In many cases the only option may be to put the meter through a concrete base, but it need not always be necessary.

Many houses - for example, most houses in housing estates - have front gardens and there are cases in which it might be just as easy to enter through an earth boundary or surface as opposed to a concrete surface. This will still leave the property owner responsible for the piping but, nonetheless, one should look at the cost of that option in terms not only of economics but of environmental benefits. Bord Gáis Éireann is looking at the issues of resources and costs. The production and the use of many of those products is not environmentally friendly and there is a strong economic case for that. What is required is an element of imagination or creativity, and coming to this with a fresh approach. To say that something has never been done previously is not necessarily a good reason for not doing it. We can take the lead here, given the large scale of the reform that is taking place. I want Mr. Mullins to address that particular issue.

The other point is who is responsible for the piping on an owner's private property. I ask that the thought process in this regard be elaborated on. For example, are private property owners responsible for the electricity wires or the gas connections into their homes, and are they charged when these need to be repaired? There are many genuine issues in that regard in terms of what could happen and the responsibility for rectifying a situation. If we are now handing over responsibility to home owners, are we going to ensure pipe work is handed over in good condition so that a new owner does not discover, six months down the line, that he or she must contend with fixing something broken for which they never had responsibility? In terms of buy-in, it is important that the consumer is assured in that regard. I ask Mr. Mulllins to touch on those two areas in his overall presentation.