Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The response is welcome. However, members should note that No. 2 in the response refers to the amount of debt to be transferred to Irish Water to meet wastewater service commitments when responsibility is transferred from the local authorities. This is a reference to PPP projects. Members will recall that we raised these matters with the Department some months ago and it became clear that these were very expensive projects. There was a bias within the system towards PPPs rather than the traditional delivery model. More to the point, as far as I can ascertain, there has been no scrutiny or analysis of the projects to ascertain if there was value for money. This is a serious concern. I note that the response we have received states the amount of debt that will be transferred from the local authorities to Irish Water is a complex matter and that a reply to our question is being prepared. I would have thought it would be able to give us a direct response on the liabilities in terms of wastewater service commitments at this stage of proceedings. I am anxious to ensure we will write back and insist on receiving a full response as soon as possible.