Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Independent)
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93. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the composition, the remit and the outcomes of the Irish Water consultative group; the person responsible for appointing members of the group; if ministerial consent was required to make the appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40941/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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In my reply to Question Nos. 494 and 490 of 25 November 2014, I responded to queries from the Deputy on the remit and composition of the Irish Water Consultative Group. As stated in the reply, the 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. 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 at under the water services section.

Representation on the Group is a matter for each of the respective organisations rather than by appointment by the Chairman and my consent, as Minister, is not required.

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/Ervia.

The Group is under the stewardship of an independent chair, Mr. Kevin Foley , Director of Conciliation Services at the Labour Relations Commission. The role of the Chairman is that of an impartial facilitator of discussions and conciliator of differences in the attempt to problem-solve through dialogue at the Group. The Chairman has no role as a decision maker or arbitrator.

The LGMA hosts the meetings of the Group and provides secretariat services and is responsible for holding all records of the Group. As I stated in my reply last week, and in the interests of openness and transparency, I have asked the LGMA to forward the minutes including the attendees lists directly to the Deputy.