Results 6,801-6,820 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: I cannot give that commitment. I undertook to contact Irish Water officials and see if they have any difficulty with the agency placing the data requested by the Senator on its website and putting it in its annual report. I do not think that is a statutory obligation. I will bring it to their attention, but I have no doubt that there is no issue with providing the information in the way I...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: The issue is whether it is a legal obligation in the Act to do that. I believe Irish Water will do it anyway and I do not think there is a need to put it in the Act. I am happy to inform Irish Water of the Seanad's view. I do not have a problem at all with what the Senators are seeking, and I do not think Irish Water will have a problem with it. What the Senators are suggesting makes...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: This is not rocket science. There will be an annual report. Anything that will be transferred from a county council clearly will be in the minutes of the council. What the Minister will sign is a public document, a memorandum. He must give his consent and the document will be available in the county council. I presume ministerial orders are available online and I am sure the stuff will...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: Yes.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: It might be the Senator.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: I have no difficulty in having a vote in the House. It is no big deal. The Senator has made his point and I have listened to him.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: We have all listened to him. I will be happy to return on Thursday and let us vote on the matter, if needs be. Is that fair enough?

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: I thank Senator Barrett for his comments. The primary function of the Commission for Energy Regulation will be to protect the interests of customers and to ensure that a consistent and appropriate level of services is provided to them. It will also be responsible for approving the water charges plan prepared by Uisce Éireann and the codes of practice that will apply to it in terms of...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: The Senator is correct that a proactive relationship between Irish Water and consumers will work. There is nothing more important to consumers than bills and if a utility bill is increasing, it is important to intervene in an appropriate manner and to have a strategy in place for doing so. Drive-by meters will be installed which enable electronic communication from the meter to Irish Water...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: The figure is €242 million.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: I am somewhat confused.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: The Government has decided that the CER will be the economic regulator. Accordingly, the CER will be the agency responsible for approving charges to be levied on customers and setting the standards of customer care to be delivered. The Bill provides the CER with powers of direction with regard to the standards to be applied by Irish Water, which will be elaborated on in codes of practice....

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: Senators will be glad to hear that these Government amendments are technical drafting provisions and do not change the intent of the section. The issues raised by the Senator are very important. There may be a large commercial user of water, including major industry, that could be on a different tariff to somebody else. There may be different charges within a particular context.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: A major industry could be a very significant user of water and it could have a different tariff from somebody who would not use the same volume. The tariffs have yet to be decided but households which are not metered may be charged on an assessed basis; the volume of water that might be used would be assessed based on the factors such as number of people in a household. In other words, the...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: One of the problems is that people will pay by volume and to measure volume there must be a meter, as Senators have correctly indicated. The first phase of houses to be metered have a direct connection to the mains and we know where that connection is. Along the street there are pipes going to the premises and the meter will go at the boundary box, and we know exactly where that is. With a...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: One must also consider borrowings and investments that could be put in privately. The €750 figure is not right.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: These are the Senators' amendments. Senators can decide what amendments to table. The Government is not controlling the debate.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: Only for tonight. I will be back.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: Those figures have been bandied about by the Opposition.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

Fergus O'Dowd: We have gone over a lot of old ground and there is no new wine that I can see. The Bill provides that the primary function of the Commission for Energy Regulation is to protect the best interests of the customers of Irish Water and I have no doubt that will be the case. I have referred to the document it placed in the public domain and there will be a second in which it will identify the...