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NOEL HARRINGTON, THE Fine Gael TD who took to tweeting Irish Water after the company failed to respond to his emails, has said that communications with deputies are beginning to improve.
Harrington, a TD for Cork South-West, tweeted the semi-state on the need for investment in the water network in the Castletownbere area earlier this month having received “no substantial response” to a series of emails he had sent to Irish Water.
The government has since made improving communications at Irish Water a priority in the wake of a series of controversies that have engulfed the newly-established utility.
Speaking after a meeting with Environment Minister Alan Kelly last week, Irish Water managing director John Tierney said that Kelly had pressed him on the need for better communications with elected representatives.
“He wants a renewed emphasis on all of the issues to do with the customer, obviously in relation to political representation from the TDs and councillors because they are representing many of the people,” Tierney said after meeting Kelly.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie yesterday Harrington said he has since found that emails to Irish Water have got a quicker response than before.
“They’ve come back to me satisfactorily,” he said. “My experience is that emailing seems to be satisfactory and some of the basic queries have been answered.
“You don’t expect answers within minutes but you would expect to get a response within a reasonable amount of time. It’s improving and I’m satisfied.”
Anecdotally, many TDs in Leinster House are reporting that their queries are being responded to more promptly although one deputy noted that it “wouldn’t be hard” for the utility to improve on its previous efforts.
Independent TD Finian McGrath, a fierce opponent of Irish Water who voted against the legislation and is currently undecided about whether he will even pay his water bill, said response times from the company are “much better”.
His colleague Catherine Murphy, who has also been heavily critical of the utility, said the company is “easier to deal with” adding ”they seem to have dropped the propaganda approach”.
But she added: “I’m not sure people are buying it. I’ve been doing some door knocking this week and water is coming up on about 95 per cent of doors.
“It’s being lumped together with property tax and USC. People are generally saying they have had enough. It’s much more than an issue of communication.”
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Toxic,bloated,arrogant company.Lets put it out of its misery this Saturday.
We must kick these TDs out of office, Noel Harrington and Catherine Murphy are not listening to the people, the water tax is not acceptable to the Irish people and will be the main issue at the General election! We have the power to teach Fine Gael and Labour a lesson that they will never recover from.
It certainly doesn’t help John Tierney that he looks like Ivor Callely..
Out if touch utility replies to out of touch TD. All is well so. Step down Tierney.
It’s not just about Tierney any more.
Remember he is only a highly paid lackey of the people in Leinster House who decided to progress the scheme for selling us our own water.
At any rate I think talking about “better communication”etc is now academic.
History has already passed Irish Water by-and it seems the revolution has begun in the centre of Ireland-in Mullingar.
Please “like” this Facebook page and support the first organized patriots to fight the system and the politicians who release Gardai on to the streets to force water meters on to our footpaths/private properties.!
Don’t want them to get better, just want IW gone
The government wants us citizens to roll over and except this quango. Not a hope in hell. We payed for the infrastructure we payed for the fixing of it. This Saturday November 1st the people all over Ireland have a chance to get out and March in every city, town and village in Ireland and show these politicians what we think of there unjust water tax.
All details of marches on right2water.ie hope the people of kilkenny don’t mind me joining there march as I’ll be there for the weekend
So a Fg td makes a fuss about irish wasters slow response last week and it’s news. This week the same td sends them an email and they respond faster than before – perhaps they were familiar with the td & made an effort or God forbid, this good news communication story was orchestrated ( nothing is beyond fg at this stage). Either way it makes zero difference back in the real world. Fg/Labour & IW- we’re not buying our water or your bulls*it.
“Irish Wasters”… Oh I like that,very good.
Aw..they’re communicating much better …. let’s all pay now! Yeah right. Well I’m communicating too and like many, many, many others this IW and govt are not listening …take a hike enda and your cronies get lost….. like children these sorry excuses are trying to be all nicey nicey for the sweets then they will throw the wobbler…. all liars, cheats, thieves….!! Roll on the 1st and beyond!!
The water rats are out spinning this morning
I’m not even reading these stories anymore. I don’t care, I’m not paying.
You might write an article on three mobile next since I’ve no contract with them either..
November 1st is just days away.
This is about the privatization of our water, not just the charges. We do not want profiteers running our resources. The Political class would gladly give up the responsibility for the water supply so they would have one less thing to worry about and think of all those lovely management positions that will be waiting for them in the private sector after they’ve collected all those pensions. …Anybody remember Brian Cowen guess who he is working for these days?
who is he working for . COWEN.
Dennis O’Brian,he is a director by Topaz.
This racket is just a Communist conspiracy and those of you who are not Communists have fallen for it hook line and sinker.
Fine Gael TD’s are bricking it at this stage because they know that they are out of a job if they don’t do something now… i was talking to a local Fine Gael Councillor and she has told me that Kenny is refusing to listen to grassroots….. As for Labour.. they won’t even answer an email if it’s a question about Irish Water… ask them anything else and they will reply…
They are finished Tim,it looks like ff are siding up to set up a coalition ( in their dreams)
The lab party are all but destroyed and the final nails are on the way.
Fianna Fáil should be aware of the anger against these coalition idiots, they should make it clear that they will not go into government with Fine Gael or Labour, we will not tolerate any more Austerity measures, we will not listen to anymore lies or spin from politicians!
“You can run-but you can’t hide”
Ronald Regan-responding to a threat from a different kind of terrorist
(to the “Irish Water”
terrorists)
Too little, too late!!
Maybe if they could get Enda Kenny to answer the question about the late night visit to Martin Callinans house and his resignation…. They can then start with Irish Water
They night be getting better at responding but they haven’t learned how to listen……..GO AWAY!
There’ll be some communications this morning.
Peaceful protest up to 1.30 this morning in Dublin 13
Vans were delayed from leaving the estate for ten hours
Better communication with TD’s ???? What about the public?? I’ve written letters to them about my mother who had dementia and is entitled to an allowance because of her illness … Have I heard anything back???? Not a sausage … What a pack of wasters !!!!!
Just don’t pay
So irish water is responding to td’s quicker, that mean the td’s are getting replies, so let’s swamp the td’s with questions for irish water?? #whatthefeckdotheywantmyppsno.for
But are the TD’s only writing to Irish Water so that they can be seen to be doing something? What exactly are they trying to achieve ( apart from their own re-election)?
I’m really looking forward to Saturday !
Rain , Hail, Snow, blizzards, – I don’t care what the weather is like I’m marching !
I thought they were a “utility company” that were selling a “commodity” – not a communications company – l.o.l. !
If they can’t answer the publics questions, I doubt it.
Your going to see all kind of spin doctor work over the coming weeks don’t fall for it.
They think a few tricks will fool the electra.
So, a company set up by the taxpayers’ representatives and funded by the taxpayers’ money, has kindly consented to answer questions about their operations posed by those same taxpayers. Wow!
Does anybody know if the grossly overpaid management and staff of the water Quango have total security of employment should their services shortly be no longer needed.?
Will it cost taxpayers another few hundred million Euros to give them all early, bankerstyle, “Golden handshakes”
Maybe they have even contracted to receive big pensions in 20 years time- and will have to be big-pensioned off, tomorrow ?
I sent them an E Mail telling them where to stick there f@#$*^^ meater. And i am still waiting for a reply, just not good enough.
have your say