Sir, – When I read that Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea (Oireachtas Report, October 22nd) will not be submitting his PPS number to Irish Water because of its response to queries he has made, I must admit that I laughed like a drain. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK O’BYRNE,
Phibsborough,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – How come local authority staffs around the country were for many years able to deliver water to our taps without the need of a bonus culture? It’s unsettling to think of our water supply being handed over to the monopoly that is Irish Water, where it now seems “bonuses” will be paid to staff who do not even reach the required performance standard.
What impact is this performance/bonus system going to have on the price charged to consumers now and in the future? – Yours, etc,
PATRICK O’SULLIVAN,
Rochestown,
Cork.
Sir, – Minister for Finance Noonan tells us water charges will be “modest”. Yet no-one seems to know what “modest” means! People who have signed their Irish water forms have signed a blank cheque.
Furthermore, does Mr Noonan realise that a charge of €188 for call-out for Irish water to fix a pipe (pipes in all probability of ancient provenance) is a full week’s disability benefit for a disabled person? That is not acceptable.
The poorest and most vulnerable cannot either afford “modest” or €188. There is simply nothing left to give. – Yours, etc,
Dr MARGARET KENNEDY,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – In Greek mythology, the hydra was a huge monster with many heads. If one was cut off, two would grow in its place. Perhaps Irish Water should adopt the hydra as its emblem. – Yours, etc,
SEAMUS HANRAHAN,
Ennis,
Co Clare.
Sir, – I have been giving thought to our water bills coming in so soon after all the Christmas expenses! Listening to a radio advert for gift vouchers for a local business, it suddenly hit me – the proverbial bottle of wine or equivalent which we usually take when visiting over the festive season can be dispensed with. Let’s ask Irish Water to issue gift vouchers then we can all bring those instead. That way we’ll be sure the washing-up can be done when we’ve left! – Yours, etc,
SHELAGH McCREA,
Ballisodare,
Co Sligo.
Sir, – Bonus schemes for staff operate in many companies. They are usually contingent on a number of factors, such as individual performance with regard to meeting goals and the company’s performance with regard to meeting targets. Here’s a target for them – bonuses to be paid only when, if ever, a minimum of 95 per cent of the water in the system is delivered to a consumer. Let the appalling volume of leaked water which is allowed to leak out of the system be brought under control before any bonus is considered.
Targets for bonus-earning usually come under a few headings. One of the main ones is increasing company revenue.
No employee of Irish water can induce us to use more water than we need, given that they cannot supply more than they have available and what is available at present is being over-used.
The next most common criterion for a bonus is increasing the customer base.
This is outside the control of the staff of Irish Water, unless they extend the range of piped water supplies.
We have been told of the levels of bonus that staff members might receive if they meet targets, but we have not been told what those targets will be, nor have we been told who will set and monitor them. It might be interesting to see the finer details. – Yours, etc,
TONY McCOY O’GRADY,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – Is Irish Water a busted flush? – Yours, etc,
PAUL DELANEY,
Dalkey,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – “Furthermore, the escalation of street politics has its own inherent dangers that should be obvious to all of us on this island.” (Michael Joy, October 22nd). That’s funny; the governor of Hong Kong said the same thing only last week. – Yours, etc,
D FLINTER,
Headford,
Co Galway.
Sir, – In addition to the anger and disbelief expressed by so many on the general terms of the bonuses for Irish Water executives, there is a further point that needs to be addressed – the extent to which the sliding scale of those bonus payments will benefit most those already doing very well indeed.
Widening inequality has a negative impact on society. Granting 19 per cent bonuses to those at the top and a mere 4 per cent to those at the bottom is a step in the wrong direction. – Yours, etc,
HARRY McCAULEY,
Maynooth,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – Yesterday most households in the New Ross area received two letters from Mick Wallace and Claire Daly, inviting us to a public meeting in a local hotel to oppose water charges. Postage was paid for by the Dáil, ie the taxpayer. Mr Wallace and Ms Daly oppose people paying for water but expect the same people to pay for their postage. Charming. – Yours, etc,
DAVID WHITE,
New Ross,
Co Wexford.
Sir, – Most utilities fund the cost of infrastructure maintenance and repair from the standing charge component of their income.
To charge directly for repairs discourages consumers from reporting faults and leakages, which is potentially both dangerous and wasteful. – Yours, etc,
AJ ROUS,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Drip, drip, drip. When will it ever end? – Yours, etc,
BILL HYLAND,
Dublin 11.