Ms Shirley Groarke:

It is a case of bringing the Comptroller and Auditor General onto the pitch along with the statutory auditors, as Mr. Ó Coigligh said. We are trying to be careful here because there are provisions in the existing legislation. Sections 17 and 18 of the Water Services Act deal with the accounting and reporting to the Minister, including the annual report of Irish Water. We have tried to maintain those provisions while also reflecting what has happened in other legislation, such as the LDA Act or the Home Building Finance Ireland legislation, where there is a dual auditing role. We have also tried to stay true to what is in the code of practice for the governance of State bodies. What it boils down to at the end of the day is that Irish Water will provide its unaudited accounts to the Comptroller and Auditor General and to the statutory auditor at the same time. Audited reports are provided to the Minister after four months, which will be tied in under the code of practice, and in the normal course of events they go to Government and are laid before the Oireachtas. The most important thing the Bill provides for is the role for the Committee of Public Accounts.

We would have developed these heads in close contact and consultation with representatives from the Comptroller and Auditor General's office. That is why we did not amend the Comptroller and Auditor General legislation. There is provision in the Water Services Act which reflects what is in the Home Building Finance Ireland Act and the Land Development Agency Act. The Comptroller and Auditor General was happy with that approach. We consulted Ervia and Irish Water in the drafting of that. We think what we have provided for in this Bill will work for all parties concerned, and, most important, accountability to the Oireachtas will be strengthened as a result.