Govt Warned Against Scapegoating Irish Water Management

The government has been warned against trying to scapegoat senior management at Irish Water instead of "confronting their own policy and strategy failures in setting up the quango", Fianna Fáil Leader Micheál Martin has said.

Deputy Martin's comments come following media speculation that senior ministers including Michael Noonan are preparing for some grand gesture at the top levels of Irish Water.

"It is increasingly clear that in the absence of any real change of strategy, the Government will instead seek to scapegoat one or more senior executives at the embattled quango in the hope that it will address the public's disgust with how the company is implementing Government policy," Deputy Martin said.

Adding: "They are wrong. The public have no confidence in this organisation but they know that this is because of the task Irish Water has been given rather than because of individual personalities in the company.

Mr Martin went on to say that under the leadership of Enda Kenny, Fine Gael's response to pressure to is "shift responsibility to someone who is politically disconnected from Ministers and wring your hands about how they've behaved."

(MH/CD)