Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 21 January 2014

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government

Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised)

4:40 pm

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to comment on the points made by Deputies Cowen and Stanley. I particularly wish to address Deputy Stanley's assertion that he was deliberately misled during debates in the Dáil. I utterly refute that assertion. The commitment to make Irish Water or Uisce Éireann subject to the Freedom of Information Act was given by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform last November. That commitment was repeated by me during the debate in the Seanad in December. At all stages during the debate in both the Dáil and the Seanad, we spoke about the annual report being available for debate in the Oireachtas by the relevant committees. I also gave a commitment that when the investment plan of Irish Water was prepared, it would be laid before the both Houses of the Oireachtas and fully debated.

There is no attempt to deliberately mislead people in that regard.

I met with the Commission for Energy Regulation, CER, during the debate and raised issues with it regarding its intentions and how it would explain its role, which is fundamental to the Bill. The CER has assured me that its staff are prepared to come before any Oireachtas committee to debate issues before any decisions are made and say what it wants to do, how it would proceed, and to provide total transparency. When a proposed decision is due it would then come before the Dáil for discussion. Subsequently, when the decision was made it would be debated again. At no stage was there any attempt not to have total transparency in terms of accountability to the Oireachtas on all fronts. I refute what was said.

A key issue that has been raised in particular by Sinn Féin, with which many of us agree, is that there would not be privatisation of Irish Water. That was expressly written into the Bill. There was no question of avoiding the issue or setting up a quango that would not be accountable. Deputy Cowen referred to parliamentary questions. I have the speech prepared for me and I do not see a reference to the comments he made but I would be happy to stand over them. The reality is that speaking in the Dáil on the issue the Minister said a third Bill was due on Irish Water. That is a matter of record. He said that anything that was not working would be examined. As I understand it, the Secretary General and the Minister have written to Irish Water to set up direct accountability to Oireachtas Members on queries they might have. Therefore, at all stages of the debate we have been transparent, accountable and open.

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