Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail)
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When Irish Water was formed it had a service level agreement, SLA, with local authorities. That was to go until 2025. Three years of that contract have now elapsed. The talk is that Irish Water are now contracting out work, and that the SLAs with local authorities will be shortened. It seems that Irish Water hope that the SLAs will not go until 2025, as they are saying that in the next four or five years all their work with local authorities will be finished. Clarification on this issue is so important. I am a firm believer that if one gives work, one gives work locally. If one contracts work, one contracts work locally. I have massive concerns on that issue, particularly concerning the local authorities. In my own area there are maybe 50 people who are now working with Irish Water through the local authority. What will happen if Irish Water decides that it is going to come out of the SLA quicker? What will happen to those jobs, and what is the long-term picture?

There is a lot of confusion about water meters. It now seems that if one has a leak inside one's own premises, one is responsible for that. This it is something that I want Irish Water to come back on. There is a lot of confusion on this issue. Local authorities are fixing leaks in local authority housing estates, but will not do so for private estates. Maybe that could be clarified.