Written answers
Tuesday, 25 November 2014
Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
Irish Water Establishment
Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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520. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to bring forward legislation to ensure that Irish Water cannot be privatised. [41150/14]
Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Water Services Act 2013 provides for the establishment of Irish Water as a subsidiary of Bord Gáis Éireann, conforming to the conditions contained in the Act and registered under the Companies Acts. Section 4 of the Act provides that Irish Water is registered as a private company limited by shares under the Companies Act. Section 5 of the Act provides that one share in Irish Water shall be issued to Bord Gáís Éireann (now Ervia) with the remaining shares allocated equally between the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Minister for Finance. Accordingly, Irish Water is in full State ownership. Subsection 5(6) of Act, as amended by Section 46 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, prohibits each of the three shareholders from disposing of their shareholding in Irish Water and thus places a statutory prohibition on the privatisation of Irish Water.
The Government is committed to the continued public ownership of water services and proposes to legislate to ensure that if any future Government sought to make any amendment to the ownership of Irish Water, the matter would have to be put to the electorate. These legislative proposals in this regard will be brought forward shortly.
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