Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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193. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if vacancies in Irish Water were subject to open competition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37517/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels.

Irish Water is currently recruiting to build up its internal capabilities and the recruitment 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 below the senior management team level, 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. Open competitions are held for all other positions and details of these are available on Irish Water’s website .

I understand from data supplied to my Department by Irish Water that 519 staff have been recruited up to 30 September 2014. Of these, 153 have been recruited from local authorities, 88 from Bord Gáis and 5 from my Department.