Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

-----on a rare occasion.

Senator Barrett inquired about Irish Water coming under the remit of the Comptroller and Auditor General. That office has the distinct role of monitoring voted expenditure. It cannot oversee expenditure in a commercial company. We vote moneys for a purpose; the Comptroller and Auditor General’s job is to ensure it is spent accordingly. Is he to judge the commercial decisions of a company? That is not the Comptroller and Auditor General’s job. Commercial companies are subject to company law, as well as corporate governance and other oversights that apply in this sector. If we want Irish Water to be a commercial semi-State body, then we have to allow it operate on the same terms and conditions that apply for privately owned commercial companies.

There is a difference when it comes to-----