Barry Cowen: Eurostat announcement an unholy mess and an unmitigated disaster

Eurostat has released its reasons for deciding that Irish Water should be considered as part of the government's accounts.

Barry Cowen: Eurostat announcement an unholy mess and an unmitigated disaster

Eurostat has released its reasons for deciding that Irish Water should be considered as part of the government's accounts.

It says the water utility isn't getting enough money from the public to be considered fully independent of the government.

But it says this might still be the case, even if all water bills were being paid.

Eurostat also says the government has too much control over setting the price of water.

Fianna Fáíl's Barry Cowen says the government has failed to follow the warnings that opposition parties have been giving for months: "It’s not as if anybody had not said ‘we told you so’ or that we were heading down this road.

"I think this was quite obvious from the day this whole sorry saga began. Today’s announcement only compounds what have been an unholy mess and an unmitigated disaster.

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said the Eurostat ruling on Irish Water is much broader than the leaks from government would have us believe.

Speaking after the ruling was published this afternoon he said the ruling puts the government’s plans into complete disarray and that the government should now move to abolish Irish Water and water charges.

He said: “The Eurostat ruling on Irish Water goes much further than the leaks from government would have us believe. The government’s plans are now in complete disarray.

“Essentially, Eurostat has ruled that the government has too much control over Irish Water; that Irish Water is merely re-organising previous work done by local government and the majority of its staff are local government staff; that there is too much funding and too many grants from government to Irish Water; that prices are too low and the cap on fees protects too many; and that not enough people are paying for their water.

“That means that in order for the government to keep Irish Water off balance sheet, as it says it will do, then it must privatise and cede control of Irish Water, get rid of the conservation grant, raise charges and get rid of the cap and force more people to pay their charges.

“With all that in mind, the fact that the government has said it expects to keep Irish Water off balance sheet should worry every citizen in this state.

“The government needs to go back to the drawing board, abolish Irish Water and scrap water charges."

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