Water chiefs won’t explain €50m spend

Irish Water bosses will not reveal exact details of how €50m was spent on consultants when they are grilled by the first of two Oireachtas committees next week.

A spokesman for the agency said “commercial sensitivities” meant it was unlikely a detailed account of which consultants were paid and how much would ever be disclosed.

That situation would not change, “even if we were subject to Freedom of Information”.