Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government included a proposal to establish Irish Water, a State-owned water company that would take over the water investment and maintenance programmes of the 34 city and county councils who acted as water services authorities. The programme of financial support for Ireland with the EU, IMF and ECB also required the preparation of proposals for implementation of the recommendations for an independent assessment of the transfer of responsibility for water service provision to a water utility and the introduction of water charges.

A team led by PricewaterhouseCoopers was appointed through an open competition to conduct the independent assessment.  The first part of this study, the Irish Water phase one report, was published for public consultation in January 2012 along with a departmental position paper setting out the overall approach to reforms in the water sector. This six week public consultation lasted from 16 January 2012 to 24 February 2012 and covered a range of water sector reforms, including the establishment of a new public utility, Irish Water, to take over the responsibility for the delivery of water services from local authorities; the introduction of water charges based on metered usage, with the metering programme to commence later in 2012; and the introduction of independent economic regulation of the water sector under the Commission for Energy Regulation.  The aim in conducting this public consultation was to facilitate a more informed and inclusive debate on the fundamental reforms proposed for the water sector.  These reforms sought to ensure that the appropriate organisation and funding models were in place to deliver water services to existing and future users, while also providing the volume and quality of water and waste water services required to protect public health and support employment. 

The Deputy's question pertains to a letter which was one of the 270 submissions made to my Department in response to this public consultation. All of the submissions, of which 32 were from companies, were published on the Department’s website, together with the implementation strategy for the water sector reform programme in December 2012. I cannot speculate on the assumptions made by the company in question when it was formulating its response to the public consultation. The Government is committed to maintaining Irish Water in public ownership.

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