Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Dublin City Manager raised a very serious matter today when he said that this transfer had the potential to cause serious financial and operational risks to the council. I agree with the points that have already been made about the transfer of €2 billion worth of assets while leaving the council with the pension liabilities. That is a very serious issue. It is very important that there is transparency in Irish Water. We have put forward a number of serious concerns since this project was first mooted but to hear the Dublin City Manager speak in such stark terms, which is unusual for a public servant, should give all of us pause. For him to warn that the council will not be able to respond to serious weather events means that the Government will not be able to say at any future point that it was not warned about this issue. I urge the Minister of State to reconsider it before it is too late.