Fine Gael TD calls for Irish Water board to resign

Fine Gael's Alan Farrell has called on the Irish Water board to resign now rather than at the end of November.

He also said the Chief Executive John Tierney needs to go out in the media and explain what they are doing.

Earlier, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan said he did not know of any plans to change senior management at Irish Water.

Several ministers had already expressed concern at how the utility is managing issues.

On Sunday, Simon Harris became the first Fine Gael minister to raise concerns about the management and board of Irish Water on the back of reports that an overhaul of the company was being planned. 

Minister for Education Jan O'Sullivan said she and her ministerial colleagues had a lot of questions for the company and a lot of questions about how people were paid.

This was a reference to the company's performance-related payments, which are due to be paid next year.

Mr Noonan said the controversy surrounding the new body would be sorted out in the short term, but he would not comment on whether the top management would be changed, leading to speculation that there may be changes.

However, several members of the Opposition said senior management should not be scapegoated.

Meanwhile, the Commission for Energy Regulation is considering whether the validation period for Irish Water, currently due to end on 31 October, might be extended until the end of November.

Paul McGowan of the CER said it hopes to make a decision on the matter this week.

If it does decide on the extension, it would probably mean that water bills would not begin to be issued until the end of January.

Mr McGowan also told the Oireachtas Committee on the Environment that Irish Water is dealing with 70,000 calls per week.

The company is aiming to have 1 million water meters installed by the end of 2016 at a rate of 33,000 per month.

Apartments and houses that might share a single supply will be dealt with after that, he said.

Until then these dwellings will stay on assessed charges.

The CER regulates Irish Water and sets water charges, and is being asked about the principles behind the tariffs.

This issue of water charges was also raised in the Dáil this afternoon.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach to consider suspending the application of water charges pending a review and proper plan of the charges.

Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams told the Taoiseach that the water charges are part of a privatisation agenda, which is shared by Fianna Fáil.

Concerns about aspects of the rollout of water charges were raised at the Cabinet earlier.

Ministers also discussed the need for greater communications with the public on the role of Irish Water.

It is understood these issues will be addressed by the board and management of Irish Water and its parent company Ervia.

The Cabinet sub-committee known as the Economic Management Council also discussed water charges this morning.

The EMC includes the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

However, today's EMC meeting was also attended by Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly and Minister for Communications Alex White.

This morning Fianna Fáil's environment spokesman Barry Cowen said water charges should be suspended until a full and open review of Irish Water takes place.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said: "I do believe they should be suspended until such time that the Dáil ... and the vast majority in the Dáil can be assured that the Irish Water model is the one to use going forward and to address those deficiencies.

"We didn't have the adequate and open type of scrutiny of the legislation that should have taken place last December and we predicted a lot of what has happened in the meantime and I think now is the time to do this."

The party has tabled a Private Members' Motion for this evening calling for a full review.

Independent TD Clare Daly has said changes at management level at Irish Water will not make any difference to the problems being faced by the company.

Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Sean O'Rourke, Ms Daly likened any possible changes by the Government to re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

She also said that while she did not believe Irish Water Managing Director John Tierney was the correct person for the job, she did not believe he was responsible for what had gone on.

She said: "He didn't make up the structure or the set up that's there and ultimately the responsibility for this has to come back on the Government. It was a child of their creation.

"He was simply put in there to manage it, and I think changing the faces at the top isn't going to get away from the big problem ... which is that people don't have the money to pay this extra charge and they're sick of it."

One of the organisers of the upcoming anti-water charges march has said Irish Water should be abolished.

John Douglas of the Mandate trade union said the Government should go back to a system of paying for public services through a progressive taxation system.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Douglas said the politicians had decided to create a monster in Irish water and it was up to them to sort it out.

He said: "There was no need to create it. There was no need to spend all that money on consultants, on tv ads and radio ads.

"There was no need to start charging people for water when they said they weren't going to charge people for water until 2016 when all the water metres were installed."

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