Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his clarification of an issue that is of concern across the country as well as in Cavan-Monaghan. Irish Water has adopted a policy of refusing to answer questions to councillors in County Clare. That is my understanding, although I am not a member of Clare County Council. It is a relatively small matter. Of greater importance is that Irish Water will continue to answer questions from councillors in the future, so that this is not just an ad hoc policy. Irish Water should be accountable to elected representatives at local level or in the Oireachtas. In Shannon, local representatives encountered difficulty recently in getting answers from the EPA. I would not like to see that replicated. We all hear about difficulties getting answers from the HSE, and the aim of this Government, unlike previous Governments, is not to set up unaccountable quangos. It is to set up organisations that provide national co-ordination but are accountable to elected representatives. What statutory provision ensures that Irish Water is accountable and provides answers to local or national elected representatives?

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