Hogan in hot water again
Irish Water was meant to be Mr Hogan’s pet project. Under a single national water utility — rather than 34 separate water authorities — there will be savings in the region of €2bn by 2021, the Government say.
The minister was singing Irish Water’s praises even before it got the imprimatur of the Dáil.
As early as April 2012, Mr Hogan told his Cabinet colleagues that the new structure would “create jobs, stop leaks and ensure compliance with public health standards”.
Certainly, there’s been no leaks, even for TDs seeking information and answers. That was until last week.
The revelation on RTÉ radio that Irish Water has so far paid out €50m to consultants shocked many, including other ministers, and by yesterday it had led to calls for Mr Hogan’s resignation. That figure will rise to €85m with fees.
The minister is no stranger to controversy. The Carlow-Kilkenny TD was chased around the country by protesters over the household charge during the early days of the Coalition. He was accused of using “world war tactics” in trying to get homeowners to pay up.
Some 600,000 people refused to pay Mr Hogan’s household charge by the deadline, a massive snub to the Government.
Responsibility for the charge was eventually passed over to the Revenue Commissioners, which successfully took control.
The poor handling of the septic tank issue also damaged his reputation.
The Oireachtas Environment Committee this week heard that his department, as far back as March of last year, was getting monthly breakdowns on Irish Water’s spending, including the huge amounts paid to consultants.
So the minister in charge of that department must have known, surely?
But Mr Hogan told reporters at a Dublin event yesterday that he had not known of the consultancy costs.
“No [I did not]. €180m is what the overall costs of what was deemed to be appropriate for the establishment of Irish Water. The detail in relation to what contracts were being given out or who was procuring was not my business. It’s a matter for Irish Water.”
Mr Hogan reiterated he did not “micro-manage” and he said that the Commissioner for Energy Regulation became responsible from last April for Irish Water.
He also told reporters that “you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs”. This remark in itself shows he may be out of touch with the public, who clearly think that the era of ‘blank cheques’ is a thing of the past.
The minister also sought to use his Cabinet colleagues in his defence this week, saying that the Cabinet was fully aware of the €180m in the setting-up costs of Irish Water. The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, confirmed as much yesterday in the Dáil.
Mr Hogan also brushed off the responsibility for the bonuses that Irish Water staff are set to receive, saying yesterday that it was a matter for Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin.
Mr Hogan clearly thinks everyone else is to blame, including his Cabinet colleagues, the regulator, Irish Water, and even his department. They’re the ones who have gotten him into this nice mess.
But, as the minister overseeing the area of water services, he can’t go looking for some Laurel to blame or another minister.
THE Coalition promised a new way of politics when the Government took office in March 2011. Is this it?
It is only now, after this latestscandal with Mr Hogan, that we have a clear commitment from the Government to open up Irish Water to Freedom of Information requests. The FoI change was agreed at Cabinet this week. This will hopefully shed light on the consultancy fees and who knew what and when.
The scandal of the consultancy fees under the minister’s brief led Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams yesterday to call for Mr Hogan to throw in the towel and resign.
Mr Adams said that Mr Hogan and his department had shown contempt for the Dáil and the country’s citizens by failing to previously answer questions in the chamber about consultancy costs over the last year.
“He is incompetent. This is one debacle too far,” argued Mr Adams.
What the Opposition is getting at in its attacks is that either the minister was asleep at the wheel and alarm bells failed to ring about the €50m in consultancy costs, or that he knew, approved the money, and withheld the information from the Dáil.
Neither scenario is good for the man who is viewed as a close ally of Mr Kenny in the Cabinet.
Mr Hogan also seemed to try and suggest during an RTÉ Prime Time interview this week that the details of Irish Water’s spend on consultancy fees had been known to his Cabinet colleagues for some time.
“It was before the Cabinet sub-committee on a regular basis and the cabinet committee on economic infrastructure,” he said.
Evidently, the blame game is set to continue for some time over the consultancy fees spend.
Many observers must wonder is the minister simply going up a creek without a paddle as he looks for someone to blame for this nice mess he’s gotten in to.
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