Uisce Éireann recognises the importance of the role of elected representatives in the delivery of public water services in Ireland. It has formed dedicated teams within Uisce Éireann whose sole function is to service these key stakeholders, supported by staff throughout the organisation right up to the most senior levels.
Uisce Éireann operates a dedicated inbound telephone and email service for Oireachtas members known as the Elected Representatives Support Desk (ESRD). This is operated by a team supported by the wider Uisce Éireann business and allows any Minister, TD, Senator, or MEP to submit a question on any subject or issue to Uisce Éireann.
Uisce Éireann also operates a dedicated telephone and email service for County and City Councillors known as the Local Representatives Support Desk (LSRD). This team is supported by the wider Uisce Éireann business and allows any Councillor to submit a question on any subject or issue to Uisce Éireann.
Uisce Éireann is also currently engaging with local elected representatives through a series of individual local authority water services workshops. And the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG) and the Local Authority Members Association (LAMA) to brief on investment and operational activity specific to each local authority area, as well as to gain councillor input and insights into future communication and engagement between Uisce Éireann and local elected representatives.
The ESRD/LSRD service commenced in 2014 and in the last 9 years has responded to over 100,000 queries directly received from over 1,100 elected representatives.
The service received 13,235 queries in 2022, approximately 1,100 contacts each month, with 66% fully resolved within 3 days and 81% resolved within 10 days. More complex cases are those that require deeper investigation by their local authority partners, and/or collating information from a range of different functions across Uisce Éireann, and thus take longer to resolve. In 2022, some 94% of calls to the LRSD and ERSD were answered within 20 seconds.
