Maria Bailey (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

At the request of the broadcasting and recording services, members and visitors in the Public Gallery are requested to ensure that for the duration of the meeting, their mobile phones are turned off completely or switched to airplane, safe or flight mode depending on their devices. It is not sufficient to put phones on silent mode as it will maintain a level of interference with the broadcasting system.

No. 5 on the agenda is Irish Water's proposed move to a single utility by 2021 and the future delivery of water and sanitation services. We will have two sessions today at which we will consider the topic of Irish Water's proposed move to a single utility by 2021 and the future delivery of water and sanitation services.

On behalf of the committee, I welcome to our first session, from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Ms Maria Graham, Mr. Eamonn Waters and Mr. Martin Vaughan; from Irish Water, Mr. Jerry Grant; and from Ervia, Mr. Mike Quinn and Mr. John Dempsey.

We will not ask any of the witnesses to divulge information on their negotiating stance as it would not be appropriate. Members should please refrain from posing questions that encroach on negotiations that are under way in another forum and which are not within the remit of the committee.