Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I too welcome the students in the Visitors Gallery, including the teachers, some of whom I recognise. I thank all Members who have contributed to this debate. As I outlined earlier, the Government cannot support the Bill tabled by Deputy McGrath. Although I appreciate the sentiment behind the Bill, as I have already stated, the legislative and policy framework put in place by this Government, in particular the Water Services Act 2014, provides for what is proposed in the Bill.

The Government is in favour of measures that lead to increased transparency in relation to public administration generally and as such Irish Water has been subject to freedom of information legislation since 17 July 2013.

The Commission for Energy Regulation has been given the role of independent economic regulator for Irish Water and its primary statutory purpose is to ensure the protection of customers' interests. This role is underpinned in statute. Section 39(1) of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that the commission shall perform its functions in a manner that best serves the interests of customers of Irish Water.

The CER has also been assigned a specific statutory role under the Water Services Act 2014 in respect of resolving disputes that may arise between Irish Water and its customers. This will involve a similar service to that operated by the Commission for Energy Regulation for the gas and electricity sectors, with the CER investigating customer complaints which Irish Water has not resolved. The creation of a dedicated independent ombudsman for resolving disputes related to Irish Water, as suggested in this Bill, is, therefore, a duplication of effort and expense.

Reference was made to the suggestion that the establishment of Irish Water could be a precursor to privatisation. This issue has been raised before and it has been shown to be without foundation. The Government has made it clear that Irish Water will remain in public ownership. In fact, this is laid down in statute in the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 and the Water Services Act 2014. Any change in the State's ownership of Irish Water would require the approval of both Houses of the Oireachtas and, subsequently, any proposal would have to be put to the people via a plebiscite before it could proceed.

A final proposal relating to insurance is contained in this Bill. Irish Water is not statutorily required to provide any type of insurance policy for customers in terms of leaks or damaged infrastructure. Responsibility for repair and maintenance of the internal water distribution system from the main stopcock to the house and within the house rests with the homeowner, as set out in the Water Services Act 2007. This approach is similar to the position in respect of other utility services such as gas or electricity. Changing the legal responsibility for internal repairs and maintenance would have significant implications from a financial perspective for Irish Water and could have wide-ranging impacts for other utility service providers. Therefore, I cannot agree with the proposal on this issue.

The Government is confident that the strategic national approach Irish Water has taken to all aspects of water services provision in Ireland will deliver benefits for the customer. It is evident that Irish Water has many challenges to confront and resolve. This will be done with the aim of providing a world-class service to the customer and this remains at the centre of the Government's reform programme. As has been clearly outlined today, the Government has already put in place the measures required to address the objectives of this Bill in a comprehensive manner. On that basis the Government is opposing the Bill.

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