Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I am also surprised that the Deputy would take the word of an executive manager of one local authority above the very detailed analysis carried out by my Department on a nationwide basis.

I have acknowledged there will be difficulties in respect of the installation of meters in a certain cohort of properties. I will not be out there installing them myself, no more than the Deputy will, but we are putting people in a position of responsibility to do that job. Approximately 200 contracts will be tendered and granted before the end of the year by the semi-State body charged with responsibility for the scheme. The installation programme will create 2,000 jobs. There is no question of it being necessary for one contract to finish before the next can proceed. Rather, the 200 contracts will be ongoing at the same time. These are the means by which we will speed up the implementation of the scheme. A public water utility, Irish Water, will be established for the purposes of implementation. Notwithstanding the difficulties that will arise, which I have acknowledged, let us give it the opportunity to fulfil its task.

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