Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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This is the first year that it comes under our remit. It is the first meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts with this body that has received billions in funding. I am flagging this for the members' attention. If members have items that they want to put on the agenda for that meeting, it is important to flag them in the next day or two with the secretariat so we do not have a situation where Uisce Éireann comes in and we are raising something for the first time, and it does not have an answer. If anyone has a major issue, they should flag it with the secretariat. We should certainly raise the issue of capital spend.

The other issue that I would like to raise concerns the transfer of responsibilities from the county councils to Uisce Éireann. I do not know whether other members have had this experience, which concerns the facilities available, so it does cover public spending. The main issue is the response provided to public representatives, both local councillors and TDs. When we have an issue with Uisce Éireann, there is an email address but that is not always adequate. People sometimes wait for a response but the response that comes back does not deal directly with the issue raised. I am asking for accountability to public representatives, particularly county councillors, and I suggest we raise that issue with Uisce Éireann. Is that agreed? Agreed. Councillors had water services in their hands up to recent years but a problem has arisen in that regard.