Confidential report pours cold water on Government metering plans

[PaddyJoe]

The report, 'Delivering Ireland's Water Services for the 21st Century' was compiled by the Irish Academy of Engineering, Engineering Ireland and representatives from the Office of Public Works and Dublin City Council and was received by the Dept last year.
It states that the installation of water meters in households throughout the country would cost 1 billion euro rather than the 500m euro figure that the government estimates.
It also debunks Government estimates for the level of charges to be imposed:
'Water services cost 1.6 billion in 2008 and combined charges for domestic and non domestic customers would not achieve 50% of that amount at present rates'
The report also casts doubt on Phil Hogan's stated ambition of having water metering up and running by 2014.
'In UK water companies, an average of only 30% and a maximum of 65% of domestic customers have been metered after 25 years of privatisation'
The plan to provide free allowances for certain groups is not recommended as ' to be successful Irish Water must be sustainable'

A Dept spokesperson said the report had been considered by PWC who in turn had reported to the government.

Source: Mail on Sunday 8/1/2012.
I haven't found an online version yet.

[Baron von Biffo]

Laois County Council is well ahead of the game on metering, I've had one for 2 or 2 years now.

It will probably devastate the more excitable opponents of meters to learn that heroic defence of their castles against incursion by plumbers wont be possible as the devices are fitted on the public footpath.

[TotalMayhem]

It will probably devastate the more excitable opponents of meters to learn that heroic defence of their castles against incursion by plumbers wont be possible as the devices are fitted on the public footpath.

Enter the CheyTac Intervention (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CheyTac_Intervention).

[PaddyJoe]

Enter the CheyTac Intervention (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CheyTac_Intervention).

Euphemisms don't come much more euphemistic that this one:eek:


manufactured for long range soft target interdiction

[Andrew49]

Posting this NOT for illumination on this subject but for this little snippet.


... there is a possibility that water meters will follow the path of voting machines, as learning from past mistakes is not the strongest point of the Irish government.

Water Meters - Richard Tol (http://www.irisheconomy.ie/index.php/2011/08/14/water-meters/)

[PaddyJoe]

Hogan claims that 2000 jobs will be created over three years with the installation of over a million water meters.
It looks like there will be a public consultation process based on a 22 page report which was commissioned by Phil.
I'm not sure if it is the same report that the Mail had sight of.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0117/1224310361493.html

[PaddyJoe]

How are you getting on with the water meter plans, lads?

PLANS TO start installing domestic water meters by the end this year are looking increasingly remote because of a lack of information on the location of household water supply points.

Water meters cannot be installed until the location and number of household stopcocks has been determined. Tenders for the supply of meters have yet to be advertised.

Senior water industry sources now say it would be inconceivable that universal metering could be in place by 2014, the date by which the Government has committed to charging for water. The sources say it will now be 2016, at the earliest, before national metering could be achieved.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2012/0831/1224323383072.html

[C. Flower]

How are you getting on with the water meter plans, lads?

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2012/0831/1224323383072.html


They could be in real trouble on this. In this part of the universe, the location of the stop **** is recorded in the cerebrum of the Area Overseer, and nowhere else. He usually only has call to locate one or two of them a week. Sometimes a digger has to be brought in.

In Britain not all of the privatised water supply regions are metered. Where there is a good supply of water, the costs of metering are uneconomic.

But I can well see a situation here in which the public will end up paying the heavy costs for metering (not for water - for metering) while water supplies are made artificially profitable and privatised.

[DCon]

Hogan claims that 2000 jobs will be created over three years with the installation of over a million water meters.
It looks like there will be a public consultation process based on a 22 page report which was commissioned by Phil.
I'm not sure if it is the same report that the Mail had sight of.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0117/1224310361493.html

Anyone seen Phil Hogan in the last 6 months?

Must be a great job, being Enda's boss.

[Greengoddess]

Anyone seen Phil Hogan in the last 6 months?

Must be a great job, being Enda's boss.
The man is intolerable. Where are Endas report cards?

[DCon]

The man is intolerable. Where are Endas report cards?

Phil tells Enda what to do (think Puppet Master). His Report Card will be impeccable

[Greengoddess]

We have a serious problem with project management here.

[DCon]

We have a serious problem with project management here.

It all starts with an inept Minister (who has an Auctioneer business on the side)

[DCon]

Irish water are tendering for a call centre. I winder which FG oligarch (or aspiring oligarch) will win this


The new Irish Water Company is publishing an e-tender today soliciting bids from firms to run its call centre, which will employ 400 people by the end of 2016.

It is hoped that the successful applicant will be chosen by the end of February. Recruitment will then begin for the first 100 employees who are expected to be in place by early next summer.

The tendering process will be open to all companies but all the jobs will be located in Ireland, said a company spokesperson.



The aim of the new water company will be to run a national water system that will supply households and businesses throughout the country.

It is also expected that the company will be able to raise finance on the international markets to fund capital expenditure programmes. But first the asset base and a revenue model has to be put in place. Over the course of 2014, the new water company will start billing households for water charges.

But the Government must first set up a new regulatory body to oversee Irish Water. The regulator will then have to set the water charges, which is likely to cause a public backlash.

A further 1,000 jobs will be created installing water meters. The process has started of recruiting the senior management team to run the new utility. The company is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2016.

The demerger of Bord Gáis is also scheduled for next year. The Bord Gáis Energy business is slated to be privatised over the next 12 months. Bord Gáis Networks will remain in the state fold. The company is also looking for a chief executive following the decision by John Mullins to step down when his contract expires at the end of December.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/business/irish-water-to-open-call-centre-210590.html