Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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309. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number and grades of staff who have transferred from his Department to Irish Water since its establishment. [20280/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Water Services Act 2013 provided for the establishment of Irish Water as a subsidiary of Bord Gáis Éireann to be formed and registered under the Companies Act. Irish Water is currently recruiting to build up the internal capabilities required within the organisation and the employment of staff is an operational matter for the organisation. It was agreed by the Steering Group for the Water Sector Reform Programme that, to ensure skills within the sector were fully availed of in building up the new organisation, competitions for positions in asset management, capital delivery and operations would be restricted to staff in the partner organisations i.e. Bord Gáis Éireann, local authorities and my Department in the first instance. No staff have transferred from my Department to positions in Irish Water. Five employees of Irish Water worked in my Department immediately prior to taking up posts in Irish Water, which they secured through a competitive recruitment process.