Tánaiste Joan Burton has said the timeline for the set-up of Irish Water is "certainly too ambitious".
Ms Burton was responding to Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Local Government Barry Cowen during Leaders' Questions in the Dáil.
On the issue of bonuses at Irish Water, the Tánaiste said it would be a matter for the board of Ervia.
She said she did not anticipate any bonus payments or enhancement payments until the company is operational.
The Tánaiste also said it is great to see people with camera phones and smartphones.
During Leaders' Questions two weeks ago, she noted the number of people with smartphones at Irish Water protests.
Today, Joan Collins of the Technical Group put it to the Tánaiste that SIPTU members were concerned about her comments.
Former minister of state at the Department of the Environment Fergus O'Dowd earlier said that Irish Water managing director John Tierney should stand down.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Sean O'Rourke, Mr O'Dowd said the public wanted to see a change in management.
He said he was speaking for himself and had not spoken to other Fine Gael TDs.
Mr O'Dowd helped establish Irish Water during his time at the Department of the Environment.
Earlier this month, Mr O'Dowd said Irish Water has "abjectly failed" in its approach to introducing water charges.
He said "the mission has not been accomplished".
"I believe there is a huge message to be sold, which hasn't been sold properly," he added.
He said it was about getting people to change the way they think about water.
The key thing is that people see the environmental message so they know why water charges are being introduced, he added.
Meanwhile, members of the Public Accounts Committee have objected to unasked for legal advice from the Oireachtas Commission that the Committee should not call in Irish Water to seek information on its activities and in particular the waste water facility at Poolbeg.
Chairman of PAC John McGuinness said he was surprised and disappointed to receive the letter and he knows the clerk of the Committee did not seek it.
The letter to members of PAC advises that the committee should not exceed Standing Order 163 and should confine its activities to examining areas covering reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General and says Irish Water is not audited by the C&AG.
Mr McGuinness said Irish Water is not currently on the work programme of the Committee and this unsolicited advice seems to follow on from media reports that Irish Water officials might once again be asked to appear before the PAC to account for some of its activities and spending including on Poolbeg.
He said he objected to the fact this legal advice "had dropped out of the sky".
Independent TD Shane Ross described the letter as an attempt to muzzle the Committee and said the legal advisors to the Oireachtas have enough to do without reacting to every media report.
Fine Gael's John Deasy said things had reached the point of absurdity while Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald said this was clearly an attempt to "trim the sails" of the Committee.
The Committee agreed to seek an explanation as to what prompted this advice.
Mr Deasy asked which Oireachtas Committee could scrutinise Irish Water. The reply from the Chair and the Clerk is that Irish Water would come under the Environment Committee.
He then asked how a Standing Order of the Dáil could be changed and he was told the Dáil could change a Standing Order.
Mr McGuinness said he would like to correspond with the C&AG to check if PAC could look at the set up costs of Irish Water and of Poolbeg as the set up costs should be within PAC remit.
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