Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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268. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the steps his Department will take or the action that has already been taken with Irish Water to address the sending of letters to incorrect addresses and wrong individuals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36378/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Throughout September, Irish Water has been sending out customer application packs and letters to over two million householders to enable customers to confirm their details and to ensure that a correct and up-to-date database of customers exists. As part of this process, Irish Water has sent letters to owners of multiple properties asking them to confirm the details of properties they own. On 4 September, Irish Water became aware that incorrect names have appeared on correspondence issued to 6,329 of these individuals. Irish Water acted immediately to resolve this issue and all of the property owners affected were advised accordingly. Irish Water also immediately informed the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner. Irish Water has advised my Department that the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner was satisfied with how Irish Water dealt with the issue. Irish Water has also apologised for any confusion and concern that this might have caused affected customers.

The compilation of its customer database is an operational matter for Irish Water and neither I nor my Department have any role in the matter. Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. They may be contacted via email to or by telephone on 1890 278 278.