Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have to say the Taoiseach's answer is a joke, and a very bad joke at that. Yesterday, Mr. John Tierney told the Oireachtas environment committee that the Minister, Deputy Hogan, was aware in September 2012 of the allocation of €180 million of public money to establish the company. Despite repeated questions on this issue from Sinn Féin's environment spokesperson, Deputy Brian Stanley, and others, however, the Minister refused to answer questions on Uisce Éireann. He showed contempt for the Dáil, for Teachtaí Dála and for the citizens we represent. Mr. Tierney's submission to the environment committee yesterday confirms - it is all here, Taoiseach - that from March 2013 the Minister's Department was receiving detailed monthly breakdowns of expenditure on Irish Water, including the amount of money being paid to consultants. An Teachta Stanley also submitted parliamentary questions, including a series of detailed questions in June 2013 which asked for a breakdown on expenditure, including wages and service contracts, but the Minister would not answer the questions.

The Taoiseach promised a new way of doing politics. He promised a democratic revolution. He has compounded the worst excesses of his Fianna Fáil predecessors. The Government refused to take amendments, including an amendment on freedom of information, which it blocked. We tried to put forward an amendment to have this agency subject to freedom of information. I brought this to the Taoiseach's attention at the time and I protested here. As an Teachta Martin said, the Opposition benches cleared in protest at the way the Government was dealing with this issue on the very last sitting day of 2013.

The Government has obstructed the Dáil by concealing its knowledge - the Taoiseach said he knew - of the expenditure involved in the establishment of Irish Water. Does the Taoiseach agree that this Minister has had one too many debacles and that this Minister should go?

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