IF Irish Water is to be more than a balance sheet exercise to lower the national debt, the organisation needs to be freed of the legacy inefficiencies inherited from local authorities.

The agency responsible for collecting the controversial household charge has said it will soon be sending a second batch of reminder letters to households which have not already paid.

THE country’s local authorities and Vocational Education Committees (VECs) are battling it out to have sole responsibility for the administration of the €200 million student grants scheme.