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Updated 12.03pm
IRISH WATER HAS said all of the contracts awarded as it was being established are “fully compliant” with European Union rules.
In a statement issued this morning ahead of the CEO’s Leinster House grilling, the body said the contracts were all in line with public sector procurement guidelines.
“Bord Gáis and Irish Water have been scrupulous in the awarding of contracts,” it said, noting that it wanted to ensure value for money and transparency.
Meanwhile, the Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin has said that the new State utility will be brought “fully” into Freedom of Information, appearing to rule out a temporary three-year FOI regime, saying there will be no “hokey cokey, in again, out again” regime.
“All the documents pertaining to Irish Water should be available to public scrutiny,” Howlin said today.
Both organisations said they “strongly reject” any suggestion or claims of non-compliance. Reports this morning suggested that exemption rules within the EU regulations were used to award contracts for computer services to four suppliers.
Commenting on its IT spend, the utility said it had saved at least €58 million in software licences because it was set up within Bord Gáis.
“Irish Water was established within Bord Gáis so that the new utility could benefit from the expertise and experience of being part of a world class utility,” the statement continued.
“In practice this means using Bord Gais’ capability running billing, asset management and utility financial systems. In order to do this, Irish Water has been set up using the same proven IT systems and processes as Bord Gáis
The procurement of software licences with Bord Gáis was subject to a full competitive tender process. In instances where Bord Gáis needed to extend the application of these software licences beyond the stated application in the initial competitive tender, Bord Gáis adhered fully to EU rules in negotiating software licence extensions to Irish Water.
“To ensure transparency around this award, Bord Gais published a VEAT (voluntary ex ante) notice in the EU journal. This is fully in accordance with EU procurement rules.”
Howlin said today that he had already told an Oireachtas committee last year that while the normal provision that commercial semi-states are NOT brought under Freedom of Information, there is a difference in relation to Irish Water.
“I recognise a difference where there is a semi-state operating in a monopoly situation and I have already indicated to the committee that I would bring Irish Water fully into FOI. It’ll be fully in, it won’t be a ‘hokey cokey, in again, out again’ regime.”
CEO John Tierney is due to face questions from the joint Oireachtas Environment Committee later this afternoon.
The chairman of the committee, Labour’s Michael McCarthy, says he expects the exchanges to be “full and frank” and said that Irish Water will be pressed to give a breakdown of its spending so far.
Irish Water has been subject to scrutiny over the past week after it emerged that it had spent €50 million on consultancies.
- additional reporting Hugh O’Connell
First published 11.26am
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At least we’re going to have one sober person in the dail. We’ll for a month anyways!
Is this crap really something worth talking about??? Who cares weather he is off the beer or not,
Mick I wonder what he is doing about the crisis that has hit the hospitals…..?
“again.”
Mick. Dont know if its worth talking but he sure is good on the eyes. A fine specimen of the male species. AHH
Alcohol related illness and alcohol related anti-social behaviour (fights, domestic violence stabbings, car accidents caused by drunken people) contribute significantly to the problems emergency departments face.
And in general alcohol abuse and addiction are serious health problems facing the Irish public.
I thought the I.H.F. advocated a few tipples per wk, alcohol in moderation is good for your heart i thought? Good luck to everyone taking part though.
It’s only 10 minutes of his time spent promoting a health campaign. Ffs, calm down people.
Does he think he’s not dry enough already? He’s as dry as a camel’s arse in a sandstorm.
if they were actually sincere about this they would close the Dail bar. I’m tired of this country being run by a group of drunken parasites!
Ironically, they’re probably the only group of people who can still afford to buy a scatter of pints in the month of January.
Buy pints?its all on tick in the Dail bar. one former td left behind a large bill when he knew he wasn’t going to return after the last election
The same leo who shouted abuse at gerry Adams when gerry called for dail bar to be closed? Ha
The impression I get from this person from government, that he is just a publicity junkie, although very low level, not like Kim Kardashians.
What a hero and role model this man is.
Now where is the sick bag.
Poor Leo Varadkar thinks he’s Superman…
Even with a vastly superior body and superpowers Superman had the decency to change in a phone booth or down an alley.
Leo by the looks of things is bearing all on the grounds of TCD. I wish he wouldn’t….he is not really a sight to behold like…
He was “off” doing his job for most of January also.
Yeah, that’s great he’s off the booze, now could he please stop trying to distract us and get back to sorting the catastrophic healthcare crisis?
I gave up drinking all but a pint/ bottle or two of beer a year 3 years ago. I replaced booze with exercise and there isn’t an ounce of publicity for me…..
But go ahead media heap praise on Leo…
He,d wanna start drinking bottles of cop on ..
Sure he probably can’t afford it on the pittance he gets
Say anything do anything for his mug to be in the headlines._journal do you not get it these people are not wanted in government
Those ppl would make you sick. That man should be visiting the hospitals to see what exactly to see what is going on instead he is pr1.cking about some non descript launch talk about a govt not fit for the purpose intended. Definitely the worst irish govt EVER.
Oh, yeah. Crazy that the Minister for Health would give 10 minutes towards promoting a health campaign…
in that last pic , he looks as if he’s been on a hell of a bender all night , “gimme a cof , gim, gimmee a coffee qu ick “
Oh what important news that is. How about he givin up been a complete tool
Closest thing the Dail has to a role model.
Good health message Leo, keep it up.
Leo I’ll do anything but my job varadker!!!!
I don’t think he really understands what the whole ‘Minister Of Health’ position actually entails. Next he will be telling us he is doing a great job as he just joined a new gym or saying ‘No worries lads, my health is fine as I just gave up gluten too!’
Why is Nuala Carey there?
The same reason as the other two. She is a celebrity who is there to help to promote the campaign.
Maybe Leo would be better of dealing with the actual issues at hand instead of engaging in all these PR exercises. Last week over 600+ on trollies (and to deal with it them cancelled surgeries) and today a 9 year old girl with cancer is denied a medical card and once again yet another irish family is forced to raise money via social media to save a child’s life… But this clown too busy keeping himself out of the dail bar. I would love to meet one person who has can point me in the direction of something good the minister has done that actual relates to his job and was not a PR stunt? Maybe the journal could investigate his actual ministerial work and publish that instead of the constant PR stuff. Everytime I log on here it’s another Leo stunt being discussed
Who gives a bollix
A child with cancer, denied a medical card by this fools department, and this is the page space he’s given. Top class Journal!!
And we give a shit, Why?
..and the drug dealers on Westmoreland Street are now running the Dáil Bar for the month.
Typical its half way through January,
And he’s jumping on the band wagon,
He was on the boos In Florida,
When there was 800 people on trolleys
In A&E units all over the country,
He’s enough to drive you to Drink
I’d certainly like to give him plenty of booos!
Maybe a bout of sobriety will stop him from spinning!
And this is news because??? I have given up drink till 14 February as its my birthday that day but will stay off drink till then… many others give up to so why should one care about some idiot that cant even manage our health service or give him paper/online time..
Well done to Leo. We constantly ask politicians to lead by example and he is showing the leadership that is needed.
That lad would drive you to drink – I was in Galway A.and E. today …
At least our frontline staff are earning their corn and then some !
That’s just the excuse I needed. I’m going back on the drink.
He has to be the village idiot…. Always in the news acting the plonk…
Another yawn..
Off his mind, does anyone really care ? Just another over paid incompentent gob$hite.
Yawn.
The gingerman pub wont be too pleased !!
Good he might get the hospitals sorted out instead of sitting in the daily bar
Maybe the money he saves can go to making more hospital beds , Leo u got the poison chalice ministry u pissed off enda the creep.
I think he’s off his head…
I might not agree with everything he does,but he was asked to promote this idea and what is wrong with that.If there wasn’t as many drink and drug related problems our A and E’s would be half as bad not to talk about the costs.A person who abuses drink or drugs causes a ripple effect that affects lots of other people.
Is that statement a negative of what he is doing every January?
have your say