Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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269. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason Irish Water spent in the region of €200,000 on advertisements in a national newspaper rather than a newspaper (details supplied) with greater circulation, which would have cost less; if the advertisements for CPO were for Fingal and Dublin only; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28213/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Water Services Acts 2007-2017 set out clearly the arrangements in place for the delivery of water and wastewater services by Irish Water, and further set out the scrutiny and oversight provisions that apply in respect of these arrangements.  Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of the planning, delivery and operation of water and wastewater services at national, regional and local levels, including day to day operational matters.

The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that responsibility for the independent economic regulation of the water sector is assigned to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) which has statutory responsibility for protecting the interests of customers.  An important aspect of the CRU’s work is ensuring that Irish Water’s revenue is spent appropriately to improve services for customers.

The position therefore in relation to the notification of compulsory purchase orders relating to water and wastewater services is that such notifications are an operational matter for Irish Water.  Irish Water is subject to independent oversight by the CRU in respect of its efficiently incurred costs.

If Deputies have any queries on specific issues in relation to water services, Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives.  The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.