Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when he expects the main contractor for water metering to be appointed; if he will confirm if the tender process has commenced; the criteria being used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6395/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Government has decided that Irish Water, a new State-owned water company to be established as an independent subsidiary within the Bord Gáis Éireann Group, will be responsible for the domestic water metering programme and for the collection of water charges from households.

Bord Gáis Éireann/Irish Water will procure a number (up to 8) of regional management contractors (RMCs) who will be responsible for managing the installation of boundary boxes and water meters drawing on sub-contractor resources from the framework panel of sub-contractors. The pre-qualification process for the RMCs closed on 11 January 2013. It is expected that tenders will shortly be invited from the pre-qualified candidates and contracts will begin to be awarded from April.

As the procurement process is currently underway it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.