Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 January 2014
122. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown of all expenditure in his Department for 2013 associated with the establishment of Irish Water, including any sums spent on external advisers; the projected spend in 2014; the way in which this will be spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4383/14]
View answerMy Departmental costs and Local Authority costs relating to the Water Sector Reform Programme have been met from the Departmental Vote. These costs amounted to €15.5m in 2013. The majority of this expenditure related to the domestic metering programme (€7.7m) and the local authority staffing costs of the Water Services Transition Office (€5.7m), which was put in place to ensure appropriate arrangements for engagement with the local authority sector during the reform process. In addition, Departmental costs which included the staffing of the Water Sector reform Project Management Office in my Department, amounted to some €1.3m in 2013.
The balance of the costs incurred in 2013 includes €0.76m paid to the Commission for Energy Regulation in respect of their expanded functions in becoming the independent economic regulator for the public water sector and €55,000 paid to the Economic & Social Research Institute in respect of providing research and advice on affordability issues associated with the introduction of domestic water charges.
It is estimated that some €2m will be spent on my Department’s programme management and the Transition Office during 2014. It is also expected that some €5m will be re-couped to local authorities in connection with road-opening licence work associated with the national domestic metering programme. In 2014, Irish Water, which now has statutory responsibility for water services, will receive €240m in equity from the Minister for Finance and some €490m from the Local Government Fund but no other funding from the Department’s Vote for establishment or other costs. Irish Water is currently preparing a Capital Investment Plan for 2014 – 2016 that will provide for the transition of projects previously included in my Department’s 2010 - 2013 Water Services Investment Programme.
