Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this important issue. The establishment of Irish Water aims to modernise the way water services are delivered throughout the country. Water is a most valuable natural resource and must be protected because it is critical to the health and well-being of our citizens and the environment. I welcome the Government commitment to place Irish Water under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, a welcome and important step to ensure that the new system is as transparent as possible. This is important because the company is spending money that has been hard-earned by taxpayers.

Setting up a new State utility company was never going to be a simple process, especially given the time constraints involved in this case. The move was an essential provision of the deal agreed upon with the troika. However, leaving aside the arrival of the troika to Ireland and the subsequent deal reached, if we are serious about delivering a clean and safe water supply to households throughout Ireland, then we should recognise that the current model is outdated and, in many cases, has failed to provide a continuous supply of water fit for human consumption, especially to households in rural areas.

Much of the commentary on Irish Water in recent days has referred to the cost of consultants, which has become something of a dirty word at the moment. When people think of consultants, they think of advisers and the compilation of reports that gather dust on shelves. During the economic boom we had nothing but reports by expert groups which cost the Irish taxpayer vast sums of money. It is easy to see why people were outraged when they heard about the figures being spent on consultants in respect of the establishment of Irish Water. However, the money was not only spent on advice. It was spent on the logistics necessary to set up the utility company, the business, the necessary networks and the systems, all of which must be in place. We are setting up a new State utility company and there will be significant new costs, but they will be one-off costs. Anyway, it is imperative that there is proper oversight of the money spent and proper accountability of the actions of Irish Water.

The energy regulator is to conduct an analysis of the spending and set-up costs of Irish Water. This analysis will be crucial in terms of the financial oversight and in terms of communicating with the public on the value-for-money aspect of the spend. A far smaller report was undertaken at the end of last year. It revealed no major issues with the costs involved. It is important that the energy regulator's examination is detailed and that the regulator's assessment of whether this represented the cheapest way possible of procuring these services is widely communicated to the public.

When all is said and done, the aim of the entity is to save taxpayers' money by providing an efficient and centralised service. Irish Water came into being on 1 January. It is now crucial that the company sets out its role in terms of how it will interact with local authorities from now on, including in respect of group water schemes and authorities which have commitments to new sewerage schemes. Communities where schemes are planned are at a loss to know who they should deal with in respect of planned new schemes. These communities must have an avenue to communicate with Irish Water.

The issue of group water schemes is crucial to many rural households. We have heard a good deal of talk about the "polluter pays" principle but it is crucial that members of these schemes, who had the initiative to set up the schemes when the State failed to provide the water supply, are rewarded rather than punished for their initiative. If payment is based on the consumption of water, then it is imperative that the system is fair and that those on group schemes do not pay twice for their water.

In recent months Irish Water has run a significant campaign in an effort to inform the public of how and why water meters are being installed. To boost public confidence in the company, which, we should remember, is less than three weeks old, far greater efforts must be made to explain how and why such significant sums of money were spent on consultancy fees and on the process undertaken to ensure those services were procured at the best price available.

The key issues in respect of this new State utility company include value for money, accountability, transparency and communication. Householders, who are ultimately the people who will pay for the costs incurred, need to be reassured that value for money is a top consideration at all levels throughout the business. The public also need reassurance that there is proper accountability and transparency within the structures. The company should communicate with the public to ensure this work is properly represented.

I believe that bringing the company within the remit of the freedom of information legislation is an important step in achieving greater transparency, accountability and better communication and I look forward to the ongoing oversight of the company's work in the months and years to come.

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