Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

He is probably out on the plinth.

My first worry is that Irish Water is being set up to be fit for sale. The Minister of State is shaking his head. I hope this is not the case because I firmly believe utilities such as water need to be kept under State control. It is a public service and I would fear for it if it went into private hands. It goes without saying that if a private company owns it, its main priority will be making money. That is what it does, which is understandable, whereas the primary objective in utilities kept in State ownership is to provide a good service and take good care of the consumer. There are no shareholders to be looked after at the end of the year when money is going out of the system to keep other people happy. If the Minister of State is being honest about it not being set up for privatisation, is it possible to insert something into the Bill that makes it impossible to privatise it in the future? That would be really worthwhile. Even if the Government does not want it privatised, there could be a change of Government in 12 or 24 months' time and the next Government might like to privatise it. The notion that Irish Water remains a not-for-profit enterprise that works in the interest of people and businesses in Ireland, and of the environment, is crucial.

I am wary about water being taken out of the hands of the local authorities. I am a believer in local government but for about 40 years, we have seen a gradual watering down of it and now we are taking one more power away from local government, which is worrying. The Minister for the Environment and Local Government talks about reforming local government but it looks more like another form of watering down of what local government has to offer rather than reform.

Will Irish Water link up with the local authorities? Approximately 3,000 people work with water in local authorities. Will Irish Water tap into this pool? I am sure it would not want it all lock, stock and barrel because that might defeat the purpose of it. Surely it should be looking at the pool of expertise in respect of water in Ireland and availing of the best talent and local knowledge that is there? There is much disquiet among people who work in the water industry about the silence from Irish Water. At this stage, the only person in local government who has probably heard from Irish Water is John Tierney. Was that post advertised? I know some senior engineers in the water business who did not see it advertised, but the Minister of State says it was. I do not know the man in question but I know he has no experience in water and is not an engineer, so it did seem a strange choice, but if the Minister of State assures me it was advertised-----

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