Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the CEO of Irish Water and his staff for making themselves available, regardless of the circumstances by which we have arrived at this juncture. There will be several interactions during this process of questioning on the report we have just received.

The document the delegates have presented today is very welcome. The circumstances surrounding its publication are unfortunate. Much of its content is answers that other members and I would have expected when they questioned the Minister in recent months. Irish Water has been handed what Mr. Tierney deems to be €11 billion worth of assets in the form of the networks throughout the country. It has been afforded hundreds of millions of euro of taxpayers’ money towards its formation and setting up. I am puzzled as to why others and I speaking on behalf of the taxpayer get no answers when we ask how that money has been spent. I get no answers from the Minister, the Department, Bord Gáis or Irish Water. Will Mr. Tierney, as CEO of this huge organisation which will deliver one of the most important services to the people on any given day, with the amount of expertise at his disposal, tell me what happens when a question such as mine is put to the Minister? Does he block information or is he directed to block it? Why did we have to wait until a question similar to one I had asked was asked by a radio journalist last week? Suddenly we find ourselves here with all of the answers. Will Mr. Tierney elaborate on that point first?