The news that the State has just handed over €270 million of public money to Irish Water is one more episode in the long-running fiasco of the Irish Water company.
At a time when there is an on-going crisis in our hospitals, lack of funding in mental health and an ever worsening housing and homelessness crisis, this is a shameful waste of public money. It all stems from the original disastrous decision to introduce water charges with a view to privatisation of water services.
Bríd Smith TD stated: “This shows the urgent need, as People Before Profit has repeatedly said, to establish a National Coordinating body to work with local authorities to oversee the supply of water and the effective maintenance and repair of the water infrastructure in a coherent fashion.
“Following previous scandals of excessive payments to consultants, for example, there is no public confidence or trust in Irish Water.
“The obvious question arises is this money going into water infrastructure or will it be going into the pockets of Irish Water executives?
“Water is a necessity of life and a basic human right. Irish Water is a failed institution which is incapable of guaranteeing that right. The government is failing chronically in its responsibility in this regard. It should be phased out without job losses to its workers and replaced with a body that is fit for purpose.”
