Sir, – Seventy years ago Jean Giraudoux wrote, “Water, gentlemen, is the only substance from which the earth can conceal nothing. It sucks out its innermost secrets . . .” And, in the case of Irish Water, it refuses to divulge those secrets. – Yours, etc,
MATTIE LENNON,
Lacken, Blessington,
Co Wicklow.
A chara, – The shambles of the €50 million consultancy fees paid out by Irish Water, and the lack of transparency with regard to the details, reminds one of the transfer of waste collection services in Dublin to private business, and the lack of detail that was given to the paying public on that occasion also. – Yours, etc,
SIMON O’CONNOR,
Lismore Road,
Crumlin, Dublin 12.
Sir, – The floodgates are now open on Irish Water and the consultancy fees paid to date. Might this give new meaning to the term “Watergate”? – Yours, etc,
CLARE BALFE,
Innisfallen Parade, Dublin 7.
Sir, – No transparency at Irish Water! An Irish problem to an Irish solution? – Yours, etc,
DERMOT FAGAN,
Llewellyn Grove,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – Irish Water urgently needs to act to counter the negative publicity that has surrounded the company in recent weeks. I suggest they hire a top PR consultancy firm to handle the matter. – Yours, etc,
DAVE ROBBIE,
Seafield Crescent,
Booterstown, Co Dublin.
Sir, – Whatever the merits of Irish Water pouring large sums of the public’s money into consultancy firms (who knows, Irish Water may learn something), I am mystified by the knee-jerk mindset of every Irish semi-State body or quango to insist it plonk its corporate headquarters in the most over-crowded centre of the most over-populated location in the country.
Regardless of office rental rates, traffic, travel and parking considerations, nothing would suit Irish Water but Talbot Street (one assumes there was nothing more suitable available in the less unfashionable arrondissements on the southside). Why this obsession with Dublin and its crammed city centre? Presumably, all Irish Water needs as a perfectly suitable headquarters is a location with good telecommunications and internet connections, both of which are readily available in every county in the State. It’s not as if this body needs a prominent storefront to attract its customers: they are going to be driven, willingly or otherwise, into Irish Water’s waiting arms.
Years ago, Fianna Fáil made a dog’s dinner of decentralisation by trying to uproot long-settled families and scattering them to the four corners. Here we have a new organisation that could be easily located in any one of the country’s towns or cities and could recruit its employees either locally or from a pool who knew in advance they were going to work in that location.
But no. Dublin it must be. And the centre of Dublin at that. Cork, Westport or Galway may be perfectly suitable for international corporations such as Pfizer, Allergen and Boston Scientific, but when it comes to any Irish semi-State organisations the default setting is D1 or D2. I would like someone from Irish Water to explain why. – Yours, etc,
LIAM STENSON,
Seacrest,
Knocknacarra, Galway.
Sir, – So, apart from spending €50 million on consultants, the Irish Water management feel relaxed enough about spending public money to provide a gym for themselves (Home News, January 11th). Nice to see they have their priorities right in carving out office space and fitting out a gym at a time when vicious cuts are made in public services to the old, the sick and the needy. No doubt they paid a consultant to advise on the gym.
The other issue here is that local gym owners are now in competition with another gym actually funded by their own taxes. There are plenty of gyms in the centre of Dublin and fees are at an all-time low because gym-owners are under pressure. It’s ridiculous that public money should be used for this purpose.
Finally, the gym issue should make people wonder what else they are lavishing public money on. – Yours, etc,
C CARROLL,
Herbert Lane,
Dublin 2.
Sir, – I would like to offer my consultancy services to the new Irish Water, for a reduced fee of €5 million. It goes like this: The ESB has a meter in my house, a meter reader calls, reads the meter, brings it back to the office staff who send me a bill. Bord Gáis has a meter in my house – a new pilot electronic one – the meter-reader stands outside my house, presses his handheld electronic reader and gets the reading. He returns it to the office staff who send me a bill.
The new Irish Water needs to install a meter in my house (or outside it), hire a meter-reader who will return the reading to his office staff, who should send me a bill. I still think that my fee of €5 million is too high – for the blindingly obvious task. – Yours, etc,
JIM COOKE,
Marley Avenue,
Rathfarnham Dublin 16.
A chara, – Money down the drain. – Is mise,
CATHAL NUGENT,
The Waterfront,
Loughrea, Co Galway.
Sir, – Might I offer some free consultancy to Irish Water?
It appears Irish Water is to start operations with almost 4,800 staff, 4,300 from the local authorities plus new hires of 500. All to service 1.6 million homes.
Perhaps they should reconsider. Scottish Water, with 2.4 million homes, gets by with 3,400 employees.
Does the management of Irish Water need a consultant to work out that something is wrong? Irish Water is proposing to start life with almost 50 per cent too many employees!
I’m more than happy to prove further consultancy services, but somehow I feel my offer will not be taken up. – Yours, etc,
TONY SMYTH
Upper Newcastle,
Galway.
Sir, – The Government should have introduced an “air-breathing” tax instead of a water usage charge. There would be no need for meters, no need for consultants and no way of avoiding breathing air! – Yours, etc,
PETER LYNCH,
Cremorne,
Knocklyon,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – Has the Government washed its hands of the taxpayers’ €50 million? – Yours, etc,
OLIVER DUFFY,
Fremont Drive,
Melburn Estate,
Bishopstown, Cork.
A chara, – Runaway train for some, gravy train for others. Nothing has changed! – Yours, etc,
LIAM McGOWAN,
Woodland,
Letterkenny, Co Donegal.
Sir, – It was the will of the troika that we should pay for our water, a commodity we have in abundance. Will they now insist that the Greeks pay for their sunshine which they have in abundance? – Yours, etc,
PETER MOONEY,
Quarry Road, Cabra,
Dublin 7.