Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

462. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on the failure of Irish Water to honour a WRC agreement on the use of private contractors for the find and first-fix scheme; his plans for same; and the impact the breach of a WRC agreement will have on his July 2021 deadline for the single utility negotiations. [16420/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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. Staffing and contractual arrangements in relation to the Find and Fix scheme, are an operational matter for Irish Water and local authorities within the context of the Service Level Agreement arrangements currently in place between them for the delivery of water services.

As Minister I have no function in relation to this matter. I fully respect the independence and integrity of the Workplace Relations Commission in addressing the matter in conjunction with the parties concerned and in line with the standard industrial relations procedures.

In relation to the broader water sector transformation programme, the Government has recently published a Policy Paper entitled Irish Water - Towards a national, publicly-owned, regulated water services utility setting out the expectations and views of Government on the next phase of transformation. The Policy Paper is available on my Department's website at .

By setting out its views and expectations in this way, the Government is enabling stakeholders to engage meaningfully in the change process which will give them the strongest possible say in determining their own future working arrangements.

On this basis I have written to the Workplace Relations Commission on 3 March 2021 asking them to contact the parties to arrange to re-commence engagement on a Framework for the future delivery of water services.

The Government believes it will be possible to reach a collective agreement on a suitable Framework for the future delivery of water services which addresses the interests and concerns of all parties.