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

I welcome our guests. The interaction my constituents and I have had with Irish Water is top-class. Irish Water goes the extra mile to help the individual. That is important in the work it is doing. We have many complaints and issues about water services but they are dealt with efficiently. When one picks up the phone, the staff are courteous and efficient. They will get back to one within an hour or two with the reference number. They are attentive to the individual's needs. On one occasion, a developer had a problem and could not get a supply because of some bureaucratic nonsense going on with the county council. It was sorted out quickly at a high level in Irish Water.

There was an occasion at the Donore reservoir when the water supply system collapsed. There was inadequate emergency planning, which meant the water supply for the town of Drogheda and east County Meath suffered greatly for several days. As a result of the excoriation Irish Water received at the time, which it properly deserved, it changed its ways. When it happened again, the company was much better prepared. When the pipes failed at 4 p.m., they had workers on site at 6 p.m. who worked throughout the night. Irish Water is learning its lessons.

Due to incidents and accidents such as this, as well as climate change and acts of God, I am concerned about water supply in the greater Dublin area. What role does the advisory body have in that? Part of the solution to preventing water supply to the greater Dublin area being interrupted and not adequately resolved for a significant time, is getting water from the Shannon. While I am not sure what involvement the Water Advisory Body will have in that, it is important the process be explained properly to the people in the areas from where the water will be extracted. There should be a complete immersion in all of the issues that affected residents might have by Irish Water. It is important, however, that the water needs of the greater Dublin area will be met.

I have had many problems and issues with Irish Water in the past.

There is an outstanding issue that involves transparency, notwithstanding everything I have said. We can get access online to the meetings of its board but it has refused under FOI to give me copies of the minutes of its management meetings, that is, when it meets at a level just below board level. I could appeal it to the Information Commissioner if I wish. In the interests of transparency, it might be useful if I could send the witnesses a copy of the correspondence. We should be able to see everything Irish Water does and no part of its activity should be excluded from public scrutiny and transparency. I do not know what is going on. The area I was trying to get at involved some of the issues in my own area. I do not have an answer to that but the role of the Water Advisory Body might be effective in ensuring all meetings are transparent. If there are commercial issues, that is fine. We do not need to see them but we do need to see what Irish Water is saying and doing and how it is planning. That will provide the public with increased confidence as the entity continues into the future.