Irish Water defends staff bonuses

Irish Water has defended the payment of bonuses to its staff.

Managers have said the company's staff can claim thousands of euro for meeting performance targets - with average bonus payments of approimately €7,000.

The Public Accounts Committee heard from Managing Director John Tierney that the payments were part of the model in Bord Gais and that they're not really bonuses at all.

"You have a base piece, and then based on high performance, there's another piece that's there for someone to strive for," he said.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte was required to sign off on some contracts with Irish Water's consultants.

The Public Accounts Committee will continue to debate the issues surroudning Irish Water later today.