Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 27:

In page 7, between lines 35 and 36, to insert the following:"(5) The Minister shall ensure that all information transmitted in accordance with subsection (4) is done so in a manner consistent with the Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2003.".

I welcome the change whereby householders are no longer required to provide a PPS number to Irish Water. This was an issue I raised at the committee back in January and on several occasions in this House, as did others. Irish Water issued three or four different statements between January and July, one of which referred to selling people's information as an asset. That particular message was toned down and the language changed, but the import remained the same because the relevant section of the original Bill did provide for Irish Water to use PPS numbers. That provision is gone, but the question now arises as to what will happen to the information contained in the information packs already submitted. There has been a lot of propaganda in recent days regarding the number of householders who have returned packs. One has to wonder about the validity of some of the information given by Irish Water. The form householders received required applicants to place a check beside a declaration which includes the following:

By completing and returning this form, I declare that to the best of my knowledge all of the information provided is true and accurate. If I have confirmed that I am connected to the public water main and/or the public sewer then I declare that I am a customer of Irish Water...

A person who returns a blank form should not receive a letter back from Irish Water saying he or she is now a customer, but that is what seems to be happening.

The propaganda being put about is that 900,000 people have completed the form. However, the Minister could not tell me, Deputy Coppinger or Deputy Paul Murphy, when we each put down a parliamentary question on 13 November, how many of those forms had been returned incomplete. He stated in his reply:

Irish Water has informed my Department that as of 12 November 2014, it had received in excess of 849,000 responses. My Department does not have a breakdown on a local authority basis, nor does it have any information on the number of application packs that have been returned incomplete.

For all we know, 800,000 of those forms might have been incomplete. The information that is being put out is inaccurate and the intention behind it is one of propaganda.

The scheme that is being introduced is completely different from what was originally proposed. Under the new legislation, Irish Water is no longer entitled to have householders' PPS numbers. We must have an assurance that the information it does have will be disposed of rather than retained. Given the changes to the scheme, surely all householders should be given a fresh application form, regardless of whether they filled out the original form to completion. If an applicant has not ticked the box declaring himself or herself a customer of Irish Water, one would have to question how these things are being handled. There is a lot of nonsense being spoken in the media in regard to that figure of 900,000. The Minister must give a clarification regarding the numbers and an assurance regarding PPS numbers.

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