Call for full audit of new Northern water company

A full audit should be carried out of the land and assets owned by the North’s new government owned water company, Stormont Assembly members will be urged today.

The call will be made by trade unionists when they appear before the Assembly’s Regional Development Committee.

With the Sinn Féin Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy committed to a review of water charging and the reform of water and sewerage services, the Irish Congress of Trades Unions, the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union, Amicus, the GMB and Northern Public Service Alliance will demand that it must be transparent, independent and fully accountable to the Assembly.

A trades union source said: “We firmly believe all questions must be asked about Northern Ireland Water, how it was set up, how its strategic business plan was drawn up and the contracts it has.

“We also believe there should be a full audit of the asset base to ensure that any profits from lands sales don’t just go into the coffers of the new company.”

Concerns have been raised by MLAs about the conditions in which the new government owned company Northern Ireland Water was set up in April.

In particular, committee members were shocked to learn last week that the entire asset base was handed over to the new company.

After Department of Regional Development officials claimed the surplus asset base in Northern Ireland Water’s hands amounted to £20m (€29m), Ulster Unionist chairman Fred Cobain warned the government owned company was in possession of a lot more assets which it could hold on to and then flog off at a better price if it were privatised.

“What was publicly owned land which is being used now to provide pumping station services could be flogged off later and not a penny would go back to the taxpayer,” the North Belfast MLA said.

“While the surplus now is estimated at £20 million, if that land become available after five years it could be worth £2bn (€2.94bn).”

The committee will also hear evidence from the Northern Ireland Consumer Council which was critical of the Northern Ireland Office’s water reform plan during direct rule.