'Clarification' Called For On Irish Water Announcements

A Fianna Fáil Dublin City Councillor has called for "further clarification" on recent announcements from Irish Water.

Cllr Fitzpatrick said "Firstly we hear that over a thousand people are to be made redundant at Irish Water at a cost of €39 million with no detail as to how this scheme will be funded or indeed if there will be a re-training scheme for those affected. I call on Minister Hogan to clarify these details immediately".

She continued "Phil Hogan also stated that negotiations are ongoing in relation to the exact tariff that will be applied to households and businesses but that this will detail be ironed out next week. Householders and business owners are living under huge financial pressure, they need to plan their budgets and the communication regarding water rates to-date has been dismal. It is now approximately six months before we begin to incur water charges – we need to know exactly how much we will be charged for this service".

Cllr Fitzpatrick concluded, "When the water charges are finally announced it is important that the tariffs are explained simply and clearly to householders and businesses as this is a worrying time for those living with financial stress."

(MH)