Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House and like others, I welcome the inclusion of Irish Water in the schedule of bodies covered by the Freedom of Information Act. However, it should not have taken the ongoing controversy surrounding this State utility to force the Government into doing that. I accept the fact that the Minister made commitments during the Committee Stage debate on the Freedom of Information Bill but it seems that Government decision-making is increasingly happening on the hoof.

Sinn Féin has argued in the past that commercial semi-States should be brought into the schedule of bodies covered by the freedom of information legislation. My party colleague, Deputy Mary Lou McDonald, has argued that legislative protection can be provided in the context of commercial sensitivities to ensure a level playing field for those companies operating in a competitive environment.

As Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, is Deputy Howlin concerned at the manner in which public moneys are being spent by Irish Water? Does he believe the scale of spending thus far, without any money having been spent on infrastructure, can be justified? The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, recently claimed that the troika has imposed too short a turnaround time for the setting up of the company. In that context, does the Minister believe this means that the utility, as set up, is not actually fit for purpose?

As I said, Sinn Féin welcomes the inclusion of Irish Water in the schedule of bodies covered by the Freedom of Information Act but it should not have taken the recent controversy to speed up its inclusion.