Written answers

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Irish Water Appointments

Photo of Lucinda CreightonLucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Independent)
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490. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will publish the minutes of all meetings of the Irish Water consultative group in view of the fact that this group agreed service level agreements which will have significant financial implications for Irish taxpayers for many years to come. [45493/14]

Photo of Lucinda CreightonLucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Independent)
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494. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 236 of 13 November 2014, if he will provide a list of all the names of the individual representatives of his Department, the County and City Management Association, the Local Government Management Agency, the Water Services Transition Office, Irish Water, and Irish Congress of Trade Unions and affiliated unions who have been part of, or continue to be part of, the Irish Water consultative group from September 2012 to date; if a person (details supplied) was responsible for appointing the persons to the group; if not, if he will indicate the person responsible for appointing the persons to the group and whether this required ministerial consent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44804/14]

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 490 and 494 together.

The Irish Water Consultative Group was established to facilitate engagement with the Unions and staff on the roll-out of the Water Sector Reform Implementation Strategy, and had its inaugural meeting in September 2012 under an independent chair, Mr. Kevin Foley of the Labour Relations Commission. This joint union/management group was established to provide a mechanism for regular structured dialogue, consultation and engagement on issues arising from the implementation strategy, including service level agreements. These service level agreements signed between Irish Water and individual local authorities were based on a generic template, a copy of which is available on my Department’s website, under the service level agreements section at the following link: .

Representation is a matter for each of the respective organisations rather than by appointment by the Chairman.

The Union side is represented by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and comprises up to 8 representatives from Congress, SIPTU, IMPACT and the Local Authority Craft Group of Unions.

The Management side is represented by officials from my Department’s Water Services and Local Government (Human Resources) Divisions; representatives from the County and City Management Association, the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) and the Water Services Transition Office; and Irish Water/Bord Gáis.

The LGMA hosts the meetings of the Group and provides secretariat services and is responsible for holding all records of the Group. I have asked the LGMA to forward the minutes including the attendees lists directly to the Deputy.

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