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

I acknowledge Mr. McGowan's comments but I still have to make my point clearer. The key failure that might occur in the State in terms of water supply is a collapse in the Dublin system. The key demand is to make sure that does not happen by being alert and aware and by dealing with public opinion that is opposed to this. That is a fair comment. Public opinion in Limerick or wherever the Parteen weir is opposes this. While I acknowledge and accept that the Water Advisory Body has no role whatsoever in the day-to-day administration, I am referring to the risks and transparency. If this does not happen, it will lead to an appalling vista. I acknowledge Mr. McGowan's definitions but the board should have a role in ensuring Irish Water's high priorities. Irish Water should tell the board what its priorities are and how it intends to ensure they are achieved as quickly as possible. I worry about the interests of the greater Dublin area and those of the people who live in the abstraction area. This project has been there for many years. I do not want to comment on it because I am not part of the process, but it does require attention if Mr. McGowan can find a mechanism to say that this is a high-priority area, to ask Irish Water what its plans are and what it is doing, and to benchmark it against its efficiencies in that respect.

Mr. McGowan did not comment on the question I raised about the transparency of the organisation, which is accountable under freedom of information, and about how it can say that some of its meetings are not subject to freedom of information requests. That is not acceptable. I could give him some of that correspondence and, perhaps, he could examine it and form an opinion in light of his role in ensuring the accountability and transparency of Irish Water.