Written answers

Tuesday, 24 April 2012

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Water Services

9:00 pm

Photo of Niall CollinsNiall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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Question 540: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will set out the terms of reference that he has prepared for the regulator in advance of that office taking responsibility for the regulation of the water industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20620/12]

Photo of Niall CollinsNiall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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Question 541: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the correspondence or consultation he has had with the National Consumer Agency and the role he plans for the organisation to have in respect of the regulation of water and wastewater services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20621/12]

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 540 and 541 together.

The Government has decided to assign responsibility for the economic regulation of the water sector to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). The primary role of the regulator will be to protect the interests of customers and to ensure a consistent and appropriate level of service is provided to customers; the regulator will be given appropriate powers in this regard. My Department is working with the CER on the development of the regulatory framework for the water sector and legislation is being prepared to provide the Commission with the necessary powers to fulfil its new role. The first phase of the independent assessment, the Irish Water: Phase 1 Report, which is available on my Department's website, and which issued as part of a public consultation process on the proposed water reforms earlier this year, envisaged that the National Consumer Agency (NCA) could have a role in relation to customer complaints and that the respective roles of CER and the NCA in this regard should be clarified during the implementation planning phase. The NCA made a submission as part of the consultation process and the submission and the recommendation in the independent assessment will be given further consideration by my Department in consultation with the NCA, and the CER, as appropriate.

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