Irish Water cannot be gold-plated
As the row continued to rage over the €180m start-up costs, which will see €86m of taxpayers’ money given to outside consultants, Ms Burton said the company needed to get its priorities right.
“We have big problems to address in relation to water, we want to see that done efficiently and effectively,” said Ms Burton. “Citizens and families will be paying and we want to see an effective service, not a gold-plated service.”
Ms Burton also stood over her criticism of in-built bonuses at Irish Water.
She branded the top-up payments of €7,000, on average, to the semi-state’s 299 employees as “astonishing” before it emerged that the scheme had been sanctioned by the Public Expenditure and Reform Department.
However, Ms Burton again echoed concern over the €2.1m bonus structure allowed at Irish Water.
“What I said was that I do not favour a return to a bonus culture in Ireland as the country slowly but surely gets back on its feet,” Ms Burton said.
“I think it is very important in relation to Irish Water that we get full disclosure in relation to how taxpayers’ money is being used.”
Her stance on bonuses at Irish Water contrasts with Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore’s refusal to be drawn on the issue in the Dáil.
The leader of Ms Burton’s Labour Party, Mr Gilmore side-stepped demands from Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin to explain the bonus structure and criticise it as Ms Burton and Fine Gael Office of Public Works Minister Brian Hayes had.
Ms Burton backed the need for a modern, national water supply company.
“At the end of the day, households around the country will be paying for these services and what we want is a cost efficient, effective and safe service and to see an end to boil-water notices around the country,” she said.
“We’ve had lots of problems, not least in Dublin city some time before Christmas, in relation to water supply.”
With promises from ministers to bring Irish Water under freedom of information probes during the controversy over funding costs, Labour senator John Whelan has called for Eirgrid to be brought into the transparency net as well.
“In the interests of consistency and to shore up public confidence, it is also the right time for Eirgrid to be made fully answerable and compliant under the Freedom of Information Act,” he said.
“This would be a constructive and instructive measure which would help avoid another Irish Water-like debacle in terms of access to fundamental information regarding costs, contracts, expenditure, recruitment, consultant fees and bonuses.
“Accountability to FoI should apply to all state and semi-State companies."
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