Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge that the Minister said that he would look at making the regulations in consultation with the committee and, hopefully, the Government will look at that aspect when setting up anything like that. There is a body of people in here who have the interest, if not the expertise, which should be used far more in terms of Ministers making regulations as they are the ones who have dealt with the legislation, often well in advance and sometimes in far more detail than the Minister. It can and hopefully will be useful for that to happen in order that the Minister produces the regulations and goes before the committee where the regulations can be teased out, corrected and altered in whatever way.

I tabled two amendments for later discussion but they were ruled out of order. They concerned duties around the Irish language. This is not contained in this legislation so if there were a public water forum, it would be something that should be raised. All State companies are supposed to come under the provisions of the Official Languages Act. This is a new company that was set up a number of months ago and it does not come under the provisions of the Act. I know of people who have tried to complain to or raise issues with Irish Water as Gaeilge and who have not been communicated with. I went to An Coimisinéir Teanga and he told me that because it was not in the legislation, he-----

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