Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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On a final point on the service level agreements, I do not understand the point about the two or five year reviews. I understand the review will change the fact that the need for these staff has passed.

These staff and their cost are under the umbrella of Irish Water. There is no plan to make staff redundant. In fact, the only way these excess staff will go is through natural wastage. They will still be there to be paid unless they retire or something else happens. That might divert from the fact that Ms Mannion states that the die is cast because they have to carry the excess staff.

I have no issue with the good job done by local authority staff. I was a member of a local authority. I deal with them, and they are great staff. However, if Irish Water states it needs 1,700 of those staff for the company to function and there are 4,300, but it sounds like CER will not look at it because this is the poison chalice that Irish Water has been given-----