Kenny: Agency is not ‘bloated monster’

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has denied claims that Irish Water is turning into a ‘bloated monster’ and rejected accusations from both the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and opposition TDs that the company is overstaffed.

Mr Kenny told the Dáil he disagreed with Prof John Fitzgerald’s claim earlier this week that Irish Water’s plans to employ 4,300 staff was way in excess of the 1,700 he believed was necessary to run the new semi-State company.

Mr Kenny was speaking during lively exchanges at leaders’ questions which prompted the Ceann Comhairle at one stage to threaten to resign if deputies continued to ignore his instructions over time keeping.

Mr Kenny said it had been obvious since last year the set up costs at Irish Water would be €180 million and said when a financial and business model is published in the next few weeks, it will show the costs at the utility “will only beincurred as a consequence of serving customers’ needs”.

“The financial and business plan will also demonstrate how it is expected to reduce the headcount by approximately 50% within 10 years,” he said.

During leaders’ questions Mr Kenny was severely criticised by Independent Wicklow TD Sean Donnelly who accused Mr Kenny of signing multi-billion euro Service Level Agreements (SLAs) before anybody had seen the actual business plan.

Deputy Donnelly claimed the SLAs should only last three years and part of the problem was that there had been no Dáil oversight. He said the Irish public would be paying for salaries for jobs in Irish Water which don’t exist.

“Will the Taoiseach indicate why Irish Water is signing 12-year service level agreements?

“I could understand if it were signing three-year agreements in order to maintain integrity and to retain institutional knowledge but it is actually signing them for 12 years,” he asked.

“It’s about time Irish taxpayers stopped funding waste in the Irish public system,” he added.

Mr Kenny accused Deputy Donnelly of being in favour of “the compulsory sacking” of 1,800 workers.

Earlier Mr Kenny rejected claims by Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin that Irish Water was surrounded in secrecy.

Mr Martin asked the Taoiseach if he was aware that retired county managers and senior public servants who had already received generous retirement packages were moving seamlessly into Irish Water.

He indirectly referred to former Waterford county manager Ray O’Dwyer, who received a package worth over €330,000 before moving to a senior management position in the new water company, as revealed by the IrishExaminer last week.

Mr Kenny replied there were three people who had retired from county councils with retirement packages but all had been recruited through open competition.

Meanwhile, the Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett threatened to resign as deputies continued to speak beyond their allocated times.

“If I do not have the confidence of this House to run this chair, I intend resigning,” he said.

“If I call time I mean it is time and it is up to you people to answer within the time limit allocated ... I am not going to spend myself getting upset here every day with people running six and seven minutes over on each question. Let this be clear,” added Mr Barrett.

The Taoiseach said it may be helpful to everyone that the clock at the back of the House be switched on during Dáil replies.