Mr. John Dempsey:

The Deputy has asked about the systems we have in place to ensure the consumer will get value for money, to which there are two aspects. The first is from a financial perspective, about which I will speak. The second is from a customer service perspective, about which Mr. O'Donoghue will speak.

From a financial perspective, we want to keep costs as low as possible. Internally in Irish Water and within the Bord Gáis group we have appropriate controls for how we spend money. That was one of the reasons Bord Gáis was selected to set up the utility. An important aspect of the establishment of any utility is that one control costs. Apart from control internally within Irish Water and the group, there is also scrutiny by the Department and through other fora such as this one, as well as by the Commission for Energy Regulation. We have to make a submission to the commission on our costs and will be doing so in the next period of time.