Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

Not at all. I was quite happy to listen. The most important thing a Minister can do is to listen to the views of Members of the Oireachtas. I am happy to have heard many of the points made.

The reason Irish Water is being set up is to ensure the 34 local authorities and the 952 separate water supplies are brought together in a one-stop-shop and that there is a focus nationally, regionally and locally on improving the supply of water. This is not a quango, as it has been described by some people. Over a number of years, we will take all the experience of local authorities and move it into Irish Water. It will not be like the HSE, which was set up by a Fianna Fáil-led Government. It will not happen overnight because it will be done properly. Currently, Kerry County Council or Louth County Council is written on the side of vans. Next year it will be Kerry County Council or Louth County Council working with Irish Water.

Senator Daly is wrong about staff numbers. More than 4,200 staff work in local authority services. He left the back-up staff out of his figure. The Senator raised the very important issue of responding to the views of local authority staff and offering them a career choice, which they do not have currently. There will be new opportunities for people working in local authorities locally, because Irish Water will operate a local service, regionally, because it will make plans in regard to river basins, and nationally, because it will look at strategic infrastructure. This will be a very good career opportunity for thousands of people working in local authorities and it will be done in consultation with the unions. This discussion today is part of that consultation. It involves listening to Senators and to the Joint Oireachtas committee and meeting all the interested parties, specifically the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. This will not be done overnight but over a period of time.

Senator Daly asked what local authorities will be left with. I do not know the figures for Kerry County Council but I know it has a big contracting out service. A former Member of the Oireachtas supplied many services to Kerry County Council which amounted to millions of euro every year, although I do not know if it still does. The Senator should ask his colleagues on Kerry County Council what exactly the council pays for these services. I believe they are many and varied. I presume they involve hedge-cutting, filling in pot holes-----