James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I have been involved in a number of group water schemes down through the years and many of those with whom I worked on such schemes have now passed on. It is difficult to get people to put their names forward as trustees of a scheme given the implications involved. We need to introduce regulations in this area. Once a service is set up, nobody is willing to take on responsibility for its continuance. The Government needs to consider this issue in the context of those who take on the job of trustee when another passes on.

Many schemes currently have only one trustee; in some instances there is no trustee attached to a scheme. Trustees are responsible for the spending of funds in banks, building societies, post offices and so on in regard to such schemes. This issue needs to be considered in the not too distant future.