Ms Geraldine Tallon:

Those are very difficult questions. They anticipate the future rather than account for things done, so I am not sure I can give the Deputy clear answers at this stage, because this is an evolving process. Local authorities employ approximately 4,000 people in the water services area, but I cannot quantify the expected figures for the coming years. We expect Irish Water will operate through service level agreements with local authorities during the transition, so that is the position on staffing currently. A number of staff in the Department work on the capital programme area and there are opportunities for a number of secondments to Irish Water at present.

The overall situation in terms of operating costs will depend very much on the economic regulator for Irish Water and this is an area of active engagement. We know the level of non-domestic charge on the system, but it will be the job of the regulator to find a balance between the appropriate level of capital investment, the types of operational efficiency that can be secured and the level of charge appropriate to maintain the operation.