Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support the motion tabled by my colleague, Deputy Cowen, that Irish Water be brought under freedom of information legislation about which the Minister and Government are reluctant. The one question which is central to how this issue has been mishandled by the Minister and the Government is about where the public stands in this whole issue. How is the public being considered in terms of what is being delivered to them? Deputy Cowen rightly described Irish Water as a runaway train on which the Minister has sanctioned expenditure of €188 million. However, he refused to give any information to the Parliament of this country on how it would be spent. What is more, the Minister made every possible effort to try to ensure the detail of that information would not come out by excluding the body from freedom of information legislation. Belatedly, the Taoiseach indicated yesterday that there was no problem bringing it under freedom of information legislation. When asked how that might happen, he indicated an amendment could be tabled to the Bill which is on Report Stage. That highlights the fact that there was a deliberate effort to prevent that information from coming into the public domain.

There has been a total lack of information for the public and the local authorities from whom this service is being taken. There are still major questions which remain unanswered in terms of how our water services will be delivered and the impact on the public. For example, where will group water schemes stand under the new regime? The Minister has not been able to indicate exactly what will happen and who will be responsible. There has been much comment that it may be the responsibility of the promoter of each group water scheme to administer the billing on behalf of Irish Water. There has been no effort by the Minister to address that question. Many people in our communities, who have made a huge effort to deliver water to more remote parts and to take on responsibility, remain in the dark as to how it will work when Irish Water takes over.

I refer to the takeover of unfinished housing estates. Irish Water will now have a very significant role in regard to water and sewerage services in those estates. How will that happen? Can the Minister give an assurance Irish Water will take on that responsibility and liaise with people living in those estates who have been left in the lurch because their estates have not been completed and, in many cases, faulty systems were put in place which no longer work?

I refer to planning permissions which are still the responsibility of each local authority, although I wonder for how long under this Government.

A key condition of someone getting planning permission is sanction for access to water services and sewerage services. Until recently, such services were under the remit of the same local authorities that were responsible for awarding planning permission. Planning officials who are responsible for awarding planning permission for housing and business developments will no longer be able to receive assessments of the impact of such developments on water services from their own local authorities. They will have to seek permission from Irish Water for water services to be delivered. If there are weaknesses in a particular area, such as an inadequate water supply or an inadequate sewerage system, the local authority will be helpless to address it, and it will instead fall under the remit of Irish Water. All of these questions remain unanswered.

Absolutely no effort has been made by the Minister or the Government to give people an assurance about what might happen. Similarly, people have been given no information about what level of water charges will be levied on them and no assurance about the accompanying level of service. Indeed, it has been made clear that those who have inadequate and poor water supplies - those who have dirty water, for example - will still be expected to pay water charges. I urge the Minister to accept this motion. As he has accepted that Irish Water should be opened to the freedom of information regime, I presume he will support the motion before the House.

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