Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I assure Deputy Clare Daly that local authority workers are not standing around doing nothing.

The Government decided in December 2011, based on the recommendations of the independent assessment, to establish a public water utility company to take over the operational and capital delivery functions of local authorities in the water services area. The Government also decided the question of whether the role of Irish Water should be assigned to an existing State Agency merited further analysis. This further analysis considered the capacity and capabilities of a number of State agencies with the potential to incorporate a new water utility and was undertaken by a team comprising my Department and NewERA, in consultation with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The analysis concluded that Bord Gáis had key capabilities which could be brought to bear in the establishment of Irish Water. These capabilities could be paired with the experience and commitment to service in local authorities, as well as the specific water and wastewater capabilities and expertise that exist in local government, to build the new organisation within the Bord Gáis Group.

As part of the reform process a specific structure, the Irish Water consultative group, chaired by Mr. Kevin Foley of the Labour Relations Commission, was established in 2012 to facilitate engagement between unions and management on the water sector reform programme. The deliberations of this group included discussions regarding the human resources aspects of the reform process.

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