Ms Maria Graham:

I thank Deputy O'Dea. The provisions of the 2007 Act were carried forward. As such, the functions of water services authorities, which had been local authorities, became the functions of Irish Water under the No. 2 Act of 2013. The provision on the protection of assets remains in place except that one reads "Irish Water" instead of "local authority" into the legislation. The ownership structure and funding model for Irish Water are two different issues. It is a State company. It was set up to be a wholly-owned State company and there are many examples of State companies getting State funding notwithstanding their establishment as companies. As such, that issue is not related to how it was to be funded. It is set up as a company but that establishment is under statute. All of the protections under statute are associated with its accountability to the Oireachtas and the Minister and it is covered by the code of practice applying to all State bodies irrespective of their statutory form. That is the point I make in response to the question. Obviously, Irish Water is accountable to the State for any State funding it gets in whatever form it is going and whichever Minister is accountable for it.