Mr. Liam Berney:

In reality, the legislation was pushed through the Oireachtas. I watched the debate on that awful afternoon and the provision was an affront to democracy. The only reason the issue of conscription arose is because the legislation provided for it.

I agree with Deputy O'Dowd's point on the need for a central vision and so on. I will provide a copy of our submission to the clerk to the Oireachtas joint committee for distribution to its members. In 2012, we gave a submission to the public consultation process on the creation of Irish Water and made that very point. If some of the advice that we provided to the public consultation process in 2012, which was based on our experience of delivering water service, had been taken into account, we would not have been in the mess in which we found ourselves subsequently. Of course, our view was not taken into account.

The final question was on a voluntary severance package and measures like that. Deputy Ó Broin is right in that given what is envisaged in terms of the expansion and development of the service, the investment in capital infrastructure and the need for a range of things, we cannot see how the workforce can be reduced. A voluntary severance programme would be all very well but it would not obviate the need to increase the workforce to backfill the number of people who have left. The workforce is probably at the point where it is barely able to carry out the service that is required. If we are to continue expanding the service to correct the infrastructure etc., at this point we do not see how a voluntary severance package would be appropriate.