Mr. Gary Martin:

The Department is open to looking at a reduction in the number of members required. The question is to what it should be reduced. As I outlined, even from the stakeholders, there is a diverse range of opinions. The National Federation of Group Water Schemes represents a third of the current societies registered. We actively sought its views because it had not responded to our consultation process. It indicated that while it would support a reduction, three may not be the correct number.

The Irish Co-operative Organisation Society, ICOS, has strongly stated it would not like that minimum number to be reduced and outlined its reasons for that, while others have indicated they would like it to brought down to three. We will have to explore that further bilaterally with some more of the stakeholders, including Co-operative Housing Ireland which put forward the case in a consultation response for it to be reduced. We are planning to meet it in the coming weeks.