Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The water framework directive dates to 2005. We are still not meeting the target. We are only at 50% at this stage. There have been two reports this week from the EPA, one of which the Minister has cited. If this is not about a shortage of money, it is very concerning that plans have not been provided to the EPA with targets for those other 27 projects. I also have concerns about the oversight of the spend and about value for money. For example, if Irish Water was under the remit of the Committee of Public Accounts, and if the Comptroller and Auditor General audited Irish Water's accounts, we could examine value for money. Value for money is not just about what is spent and whether the tender is the cheapest one; it is also about the failures. We are not able to get under the bonnet of that issue because it is not under the remit of the committee. I believe two pieces of legislation are required, and not just one. What is happening about the areas where capital investment was made and yet they are not meeting the standards?

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