5 Noll 2011, 15:14
The Committee on Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht will continue its investigation into the supply, storage, provision, disposal and cost of water when it will meet with Professor Frank Convery, Environmental Institute, UCD and representatives from the National Consumer Agency.
Committee Chairman Ciarán Lynch, TD said: “Tomorrow, the Committee will resume its consultation process with key stakeholders in the water sector where we will address issues such as the provision of an efficient water infrastructure, the administration involved in providing an adequate water infrastructure for our population and the costs involved in providing and managing that infrastructure.
Professor Convery has written extensively on resource and environmental economics issues with particular reference to agriculture, forestry, energy, minerals, land use, urbanisation, environment and development in developing countries. He is a strong advocate of water pricing to ensure effective and economically efficient water management.
We will be interested in receiving Professor Convery’s economic analysis of providing water services and this meeting will afford him an opportunity to outline the views on water infrastructure, supply, storage and disposal in Ireland. Committee members will also have a chance to raise any issues they may have on the matter.
We will also be able to get the perspective of the National Consumer Agency on the water supply, the costs involved and the impact of water pricing on consumers.
It is clear that we need immediate action now to ensure that we have an adequate water infrastructure in the future and to prevent future water shortages and the Committee has identified this issue as a priority and a major concern. Our meeting tomorrow is the latest in series of engagements with interested parties and stakeholders which are designed to give members of the Joint Committee an overview and also a thorough understanding of the major issues in the water sector. Having considered the evidence put before us, the committee will publish its own report and put forward proposals to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.”
This meeting will take place on Tuesday, 6th December, in Committee Room 4, Leinster House 2000 at 2.15pm.
On Wednesday, 7th December, Minister of State with responsibility for the New Era project, Fergus O’Dowd, TD will appear before the Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government to discuss the 2011 Supplementary Estimates for Public Services – Vote 25 (Environment, Community and Local Government).
Committee proceedings can be followed live at:
http://www.oireachtas.ie/ViewDoc.asp?fn=/documents/livewebcast/Web-Live.htm&CatID=83&m=o
For further information please contact:
Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551
Committee Membership
Deputies:
Ciarán Lynch, Labour Party (Chairman)
Noel Coonan, Fine Gael (Vice-Chairman)
James Bannon, Fine Gael
Paudie Coffey, Fine Gael
Terence Flanagan, Fine Gael
Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Fine Gael
Tony McLoughlin, Fine Gael
Patrick O’Donovan, Fine Gael
Brian Walsh, Fine Gael
Kevin Humphreys, Labour Party
Gerald Nash, Labour Party
Seán Kenny, Labour Party
Robert Troy, Fianna Fáil
Timmy Dooley, Fianna Fáil
Niall Collins, Fianna Fáil
Sandra McLellan, Sinn Féin
Dessie Ellis, Sinn Féin
Brian Stanley, Sinn Féin
Clare Daly, Socialist Party
Catherine Murphy, Independent
Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Independent
Senators:
Cáit Keane, Fine Gael
Catherine Noone, Fine Gael
Labhrás Ó’Murchú, Fianna Fáil
Ned O’Sullivan, Fianna Fáil
Eamonn Coghlan, Independent