Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We totally understand where the council is coming from and we appreciate some of the solutions. I am not sure which of the witnesses can answer this question.

How confident are the witnesses that these solutions can be taken on board quickly in order that we can get this resolved? This is the second time the committee has had a public session on this issue. We will work as much as we can with Tipperary County Council to get this resolved. Are the council's hands tied until either the Department or Irish Water changes its attitude on the whole system? As I said earlier, and it is no reflection on Tipperary County Council which I know is caught in the middle as well as the families, up until now Mr. Coskeran and the committee have been trying to draw information out of four different areas. Are the council's hands tied until the Department comes on board with the council's solutions? From this point on, we will be helping the council to persuade the Department or Irish Water that this needs to be done and these solutions offer a way out of this situation. Can we as a committee get behind the council on that or should we as a committee go directly to the Department and try to force its officials to come before us here and answer questions, as the council has done? I appreciate that Tipperary County Council has done that.