Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach said he would write to me about proposed legislation. This legislation refers to the Government commitment to bring "to an end the unacceptable Executive practice where no record is kept of ministerial involvement with an issue and resulting decisions". The Taoiseach could not answer that basic point last week. In total, 23 meetings took place between Bord Gáis and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government between April and September 2012 on Irish Water, of which just ten had minutes. Of those ten, half had just one typed page of notes. There were two meetings between the former Minister, Phil Hogan, and Ms Hynes later in 2012 which were not minuted. In total, four meetings between the former Minister, Phil Hogan, and Bord Gáis officials were not recorded.

The level of non-compliance engaged in by the former Minister in his discussions with Bord Gáis and Irish Water itself regarding the formation of Irish Water is extraordinary. All of this has been revealed by RTE’s "This Week" programme. No minutes or notes were taken at at least half of all meetings between the Department and Bord Gáis. What was going on? Why were all these meetings being held?

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