Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 12:

In page 10, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following:"(9) That a full and comprehensive table of all monies transferred to and expended by Irish Water for the purposes of this subsection shall be

published annually providing a county by county breakdown.".

This amendment seeks transparency. It relates to the transfer of property from councils or water service authorities to Irish Water and proposes that a comprehensive table of all moneys or infrastructure transferred to and expended by Irish Water for the purposes of the subsection be published annually providing a county by county breakdown. This would be appropriate from the point of view of transparency point of view. Perhaps the amendment might need to be tuned. There are serious questions about Irish Water being beyond scrutiny through freedom of information requests in its establishment phase. There is a requirement for local authorities, local authority members and the general public to be absolutely clear and aware of what is being transferred to Irish Water in order that Joe Murphy living on Main Street, Clonmel, Gortahork or Skibbereen can log on to a website annually at the end of the year to see what has been transferred and, therefore, what has been left within the local authority. Presumably after transfer day there will be other stuff to be transferred and we need transparency in that regard. I am not sure if the Minister of State is willing to accept the amendment, but as this is public infrastructure owned by the taxpayer which is being transferred, I do not see any issue in accepting it. I hope he will accept it, as it would provide for some level of scrutiny and clarity to allow us, as public representatives in the Oireachtas or any council chamber across the country, to scrutinise, question and hold to account in some way the new entity to be known as Uisce Éireann or Irish Water.