Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The forum is a talking shop. We are discussing a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 60 members but the Minister has powers to approve who is on it. It is like the peatlands forum. Volunteers - genuine people from the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's part of the countryside - gave their time free of charge on that forum while other people from agencies got paid and took expenses. That is the disgusting part. It will also happen in respect of the Irish Water forum. The issue of financial remuneration has been raised. Volunteers and pioneers constructed the water schemes around the country. There are always volunteers who will work for nothing but the ethos of Irish Water has been a gravy train for certain people. The people who are working for Irish Water on the ground are doing their job. It is not their fault. If I contact a helpful official who tries to resolve an issue, I will acknowledge that.

Two weeks ago, Irish Water workers fitted a meter for a parish priest in my town of Clonmel but because they did not turn the water back on, he had no water for two days. Luckily enough he had the wine and water in the chapel but he had no water in his house. He rang Irish Water repeatedly but he might as well have been ringing Timbuktu. That is the problem.

He got his torch and his screwdriver and got down on his knees - he looked like he was praying outside the parochial house, but he was not - and he turned the lever and turned it back on. Things like that will happen. It was not an accident. It was deliberately not turned back on in case there was a leak.

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