Results 12,061-12,080 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

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

Fergus O'Dowd: I will do my best to answer the question.

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

Fergus O'Dowd: I wish to make a few important points by way of clarification. I welcome the comments made by all Senators. Senator Fidelma Healy Eames has said the first fix is free. In other words, if there is a leak on the customer’s side, it will be fixed for free. On the question posed by Senator Sean D. Barrett, the problem is that the leak is not necessarily in one’s house, it might...

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

Fergus O'Dowd: There is quite a spectrum of views on the issue. I can understand where different political parties are coming from and I will leave it at that, rather than go through the usual points I might make. The reality is that our water services cost €1.2 billion annually. Therefore, it costs €1.2 billion to supply water to every house and business in the country. Some €200...

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

Fergus O'Dowd: It will have to be in the plan. If I say I am against the imposition of standing charges, that is fine and that would be a popular thing to say. It would make for a great story, but the fact is that even if I do not use water I still have to pay the standing charge because it goes towards covering the cost of the other services that are provided to my meter. On Senator Healy Eames's...

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

Fergus O'Dowd: No, with respect to a Member of the other House-----

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

Fergus O'Dowd: -----I was writing his manifesto for him. Water charges are a fact of life everywhere. They help reduce costs. They reduce the level of capital infrastructure, because less water is used, and ensure money is available to pay for the cost of the infrastructure. We cannot be left in the situation we were in when the troika came into the country and we had no money to pay for anything. The...

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

Fergus O'Dowd: No; I am not making it up. We will be repeating that in about two years' time.

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

Fergus O'Dowd: Will the Senator explain?

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

Fergus O'Dowd: I will answer the questions to the best of my ability. On security of tenure, local authority employees are permanent staff. Transfers of local authority employees to Irish Water under a service level agreement will take place by agreement, in other words, the employees will continue to be employed by the local authority. However, they may also opt to transfer to Irish Water as employees...

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

Fergus O'Dowd: Following the debate on Second Stage, I sought reassurances - through my Department - that regional communicators have been appointed by Irish Water. Part of the task of those individuals is to contact all elected members in each area. Councillors will be able to communicate directly and discuss matters with these people at all times because they will know their names and telephone numbers....

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

Fergus O'Dowd: These amendments are necessary in order to provide that any rights in addition to liability shall be transferred to Irish Water following the making of an order by the Minister. Accordingly, the order made under section 14 will provide for the transfer of rights and liabilities from local authorities to Irish Water. For example, contracts transferring to Irish Water would include both...

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

Fergus O'Dowd: I do not have a problem talking to my Department and Irish Water to achieve a consensus with which people will be happy regarding the transparency of the transfer and the availability of the facts in regard to it. I will revert to the Senator on this. I cannot promise anything but will talk to the relevant officials about it.

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

Fergus O'Dowd: This is simply intended to improve the drafting of section 13, which provides for the transfer of rights and certain liabilities associated with the transfer of property provided for in section 12.

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

Fergus O'Dowd: All I can say is the amendment is unnecessary because it is the stated intention of the Bill to provide for the transfer of water service property and assets. This is about transferring them but at the right time. Therefore, changing the word in the section would make no difference. The intention is to take them over, but the conditions must be right. We are talking about the assets and...

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

Fergus O'Dowd: The issues being touched on are very important because it is important that the people know what is going on. An asset will be transferred by ministerial order and it will not be done quietly and silently. An order will be signed which anybody will be able to find and look at. What will be transferred will be visible and there will be nothing hidden about it. On the question of where the...

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

Fergus O'Dowd: As I understand it, they will be available online; therefore, people will have access to them. Also, I presume, one's local authority will have an inventory. The process will be transparent.

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

Fergus O'Dowd: I have no difficulty in telling the Senator-----

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

Fergus O'Dowd: All I can say is it is a commercial semi-State entity which will be fully self-financing. The subsection provides that water service development contributions collected by a local authority and transferred to Irish Water can only be expended within the functional area of that authority. While I understand the rationale behind the amendment, it is unnecessary as the company will only be...

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

Fergus O'Dowd: In an effort to be more helpful, perhaps we might ask Irish Water to publish the information in its annual report and the county council will do the same in its annual report. It could do it on a county by county basis or whatever way it wanted to do so, or else make it available on the website. There is nothing being hidden from anybody at all. The information is accessible on the...

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

Fergus O'Dowd: Tuigim an pointe, ach ní réiteoidh muid riamh le chéile ar an cheist seo.