Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 5:

In page 6, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “(4) The following provisions of the Act of 2017 are repealed:

(a) sections 44(1) and 53;

(b) sections 42, 43, 44 (in so far as it is not repealed by paragraph (a)), 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 and 52.”.

The Water Advisory Body was established by the Water Services Act 2017 with advisory and reporting functions. This amendment removes those functions by repealing the specific provisions of the 2017 Act. Section 44(1) of the 2017 Act is about the Water Advisory Body advising "the Minister on the measures needed to improve the transparency and accountability of Irish Water for the purpose of increasing the confidence of members of the public in Irish Water". This section is also about the Water Advisory Body providing quarterly reports to the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the performance by Irish Water in the implementation of its business plan. Amendment No. 5 repeals this section of the Water Services Act 2017. Section 53 of 2017 Act is about the Water Advisory Body's annual report and its laying before the Houses of the Oireachtas. There are no annual accounts of the Water Advisory Body. It is funded through the Vote of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and this Department is accountable to the Committee of Public Accounts for the Water Advisory Body's expenditure.

The purpose of subhead B9 of this Vote is to fund the Water Advisory Body's secretariat, overhead and administration costs, members' fees and expenses, as well as any consultancies undertaken by the body. Amendment No. 5 repeals this section of the Water Services Act 2017. The other section of this Act relating to the establishment and functions of the Water Advisory Body are also being repealed by this amendment. These are sections 42 and 43, which contain provisions relating to the establishment of the body; section 44, which details arrangements for the work of the body; sections 45 to 49, inclusive, which outline the membership of the body, including the chairperson and the terms of membership and office; sections 50 and 51, which are about the body's meetings and procedures and matters relating to such meetings; and section 52, which is about the provision of grants to the body, as well as administrative arrangements.

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