So much for Irish Water’s new approach

IT IS an extraordinary track record. In little more than nine months, Irish Water has done what three years of relentless austerity failed to do: undermined this Government’s stability to the point where its very survival is increasingly being questioned.

What began with John Tierney’s carcrash interview with Seán O’Rourke last January has turned into a tidal wave of scandal and controversy, unleashing in the process an unprecedented torrent of public protest that shows no sign of abating.

However, just about the only right note sounded by Mr Tierney in that now notorious interview was his reassurance that the days of big spending on consultants were over. Nothing, as this paper reveals today, could be further from the truth.

Despite having a full complement of highly paid senior executives and twice as many staff as it needs – and even though it has yet to bring in a single cent in revenue – Irish Water continues to splurge €1m a month on external consultants.

We also reveal that, while those who refuse to pay no longer face the threat of having their water supply cut off or reduced, the Government is now looking at attaching a charge to non-compliant households that must eventually be collected.

In other words, despite all the reassurances from Alan Kelly and Joan Burton, Irish Water will continue to play hardball with its customers.

Meanwhile, our exclusive photographs today raise serious questions about Enda Kenny’s personal links to a controversial member of the Irish Water board.

For its part, the company continues to refuse to answer perfectly legitimate questions about the bona fides of mystery director Coleman Sheehy. This is simply not good enough.

If the Taoiseach was sincere when he talked about transparency and a new way of doing politics, then it is now incumbent on him personally to show us that Mr Sheehy’s appointment was above board and not linked in any way to cronyism.