Ireland plans to split Irish Water from gas utility

The Irish government’s plan to separate Irish Water from the Ervia Group and set it up as a stand-alone utility will cost the state about €5 million in one-off costs and as much as €10 million in annual operating costs, an Oireachtas (parliamentary) committee has been told.

The one-off costs are chiefly made up of expenditure on legal services and information and communications technology.

Since it was set up in 2013, Irish Water has been grouped with Gas Networks Ireland under the overall control of state gas and water infrastructure utility Ervia.

Now the government has published legislation to separate Irish Water and establish it as “a national, publicly-owned, regulated, water services utility.”

Ministers are also hoping to transfer local authority workers currently working under a service agreement with Irish Water to direct control of the water utility.

As well the administration is examining the issue of holding a referendum to guarantee the retention of Irish Water in public ownership.