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Irish Water Staff

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 January 2014

Thursday, 23 January 2014

Questions (159, 160, 161)

Kevin Humphreys

Question:

159. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 712 of 5 November 2013, if he will outline in detail the number of staff in Irish Water who have been provided with a car; the level of management at which they receive a car; the type of car to which they are entitled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3387/14]

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Kevin Humphreys

Question:

160. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of staff in Irish Water that have been provided with a credit, debit or charge card; if he will outline the spending limit for each issued card; if he will provide details of the person it was issued to and their responsibilities; the criteria for using these cards; if he will also provide in tabular form for each person the amount spent on each card in 2013, and in 2014 to date respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3388/14]

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Kevin Humphreys

Question:

161. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 713 of 5 November 2013, if he will outline in detail the fringe benefits, other than salary, health insurance or other perks that staff in Irish Water received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3389/14]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 159 to 161, inclusive, together.

The Water Services Act 2013 provided for the establishment of Irish Water as a subsidiary of Bord Gáis Éireann to be formed and registered under the Companies Act. In line with the Code of Practice for the corporate governance of State bodies, the determination of the remuneration of the senior management of commercial State bodies, with the exception of the Chief Executive, is a matter for the Board of the body and not one in which I have a statutory remit.

The Managing Director of Irish Water was appointed by the Board of Bord Gáis Éireann, and his remuneration package was approved by me, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and following consultation with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The gross salary payable to the Managing Director of Irish Water is €200,000 per annum. In accordance with his approved Contract of Employment, the Managing Director of Irish Water is afforded the use of a company car (Honda CRV) on terms determined by the Company.

I and my Department will not necessarily have access to details of expenditure and other organisational matters in relation to the company. In this context, and to support and assist public representatives in their role, my Department has requested Irish Water, on behalf of myself and Minister of State O’Dowd, to take early action to ensure that public representatives are regularly briefed on matters pertaining to the organisation and operation of the utility. Irish Water is currently considering how best to support and respond to the Parliamentary and public representation needs of elected representatives at national and local level.

Pending the establishment of these arrangements, my Department requested the information sought in the questions from Irish Water and I can indicate that nine regional managers working on the domestic metering programme have been provided with leased cars on the basis that they are on-call and may be required to travel twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. The cars are 1.6 diesel engines and the models are: one Kia Optima, one Kia Sportage, two VW Passat, and five Ford Mondeos.

A car allowance of €10,500 is paid to twenty seven Senior Managers who are required to use their own cars in the course of their duties with Irish Water. This is a fully taxable non-pensionable allowance, subject to tax, PRSI and USC. This is in lieu of the payment of mileage expenses as would pertain in other circumstances, as the company views this as a more cost-effective option.

Irish Water has confirmed that while no member of staff has a debit or charge card, two credit cards have been issued for business use in Irish Water. These cards are for company purchases or costs on behalf of the business. The cards have been issued in the name of the Managing Director and the Head of Customer Operations. In 2013 approximately €10,000 was spent on each card. The only commitment to date in 2014 relates to an amount of €375. Irish Water is preparing a breakdown of the various payments, which they will directly issue to the Deputy.

The holder of the card does not approve the payment of the credit card bill, in other words, there is a further sign-off as part of the approvals process. All charges to the credit card must be accompanied by supporting documentation

Irish Water provides health insurance of VHI Plan C or equivalent for nine of its Senior Executives, no other staff benefits are in place.

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