Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

532. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans for the redeployment of staff who work in the water services section of a local authority, now that Irish Water has taken full responsibility for the provision and administration of all matters in relation to the provision of commercial and domestic water; his further plans to redeploy some staff within the public sector to Irish Water; the estimated impact this will have on the individual staff members' terms and conditions of employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38617/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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 has entered into service level agreements (SLAs) with each local authority for the provision of water services. Staff members working under these arrangements remain local authority employees while continuing to perform key water services functions with local authorities acting as agents of Irish Water. Staffing arrangements are an operational matter for Irish Water and local authorities within the context of the SLA arrangements currently in place.

In January 2018, I requested that a process of engagement be undertaken involving Ervia / Irish Water, the County and City Management Association and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to address proposals for a transformation process leading towards Irish Water integrating its operations to become the single public water services authority. This followed from a process of consideration by Ervia where it examined the options to meet its regulatory and business plan targets and concluded that the public water system would benefit from greater integration of operations into a single utility. Following this consideration, my Department was informed that the Ervia Board had decided in principle not to renew the SLAs with local authorities beyond 2025 when they are due to expire, and that it would work with local authorities and unions to move to the integrated model within the life of the current Business Plan which runs to 2021. The Government noted this position in September 2017.

I have met will all of the parties involved and requested that they would participate in dialogue with each other. This is on the understanding that the current SLAs between Irish Water and local authorities will remain in place until an alternative is agreed. It is also on the understanding that no compulsory redundancies would arise as an outcome from the transformation process. Furthermore, the Water Services (No.2) Act 2013 provides a mechanism for dealing with the transfer of staff in situations where Service Level Agreements come to an end. This provides for the protection of terms and conditions and superannuation benefits of staff in such circumstances.

In May 2018 I asked the Director General of the Workplace Relations Commission to undertake an exercise with the parties and to report to me on the key issues of concern arising. I received this report on 19 September 2018. A copy of the report is available on the website of the WRC at the following .

I will now reflect on the Report and consider the next steps to be taken, taking account of the fact that water services are essential to the daily lives of our citizens and to our economy and the consequent need to ensure that the best and most appropriate arrangements possible are in place for the delivery of these vital services.