Updated 9.25 pm
FIANNA FÁIL HAS criticised the “outlandish spending” at Irish Water amid media reports that the utility will cost twice as much to run as water companies in England and Wales.
The Sunday Business Post said today that a report carried out by a London-based consulting firm found that the projected running costs at the company are double that of similar companies in the UK.
The report further states that €1.9 billion will be spent at the company over the first two years with the percentage being spent on salaries described as “high”.
Fianna Fáil says that the revelations only confirm what they have said previously about set up costs at the Bord Gáis subsidiary.
“I am not surprised by these figures because from the very beginning Irish Water has had a gold-plated bonus culture attached to it,” argued Fianna Fáil environment spokesperson Barry Cowen.
This bonus culture was facilitated by the Government when it awarded the Irish Water contract to Bord Gáis against the advice of an independent report the Government itself commissioned. This opened the door to the generous bonus system at Irish Water which is contributing to the high staff salaries.
It was previously revealed that an overall budget of up to €180 million was set aside to establish Irish Water with €86 million of that to be spent on outside contractors.
Irish Water was set up to take responsibility for the delivery of water services from local councils and will begin implementing water charges from October.
First published 4.25 pm
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