Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I assure Deputy Moynihan it is the absolute intention of Government that the Irish water business will not be privatised. As with the gas networks, our water assets are critical national infrastructure. Irish Water was established therefore as a fully State-owned subsidiary of BGE and there is no intention, now or in the future, to dispose of it or its assets. As the Deputy is aware, my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, will bring a new water services Bill to the Oireachtas in the coming months. I understand that an outline of the draft scheme of that Bill has been published on the departmental website. I am advised that the matter raised in the Deputy's proposed amendment is a matter more properly addressed by the forthcoming water services Bill. On this basis, I regret I cannot accept the amendment to the Gas Regulation Bill.