Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Money, money everywhere…
THE total set-up cost of Irish by lyndsey telford Water is expected to reach €180million, its managing direc- the spend to the Oireachtas Comtor has revealed. mittee on the Environment, CulAs John Tierney confirmed ture and the Gaeltacht. nearly half that figure will be He is due to appear today before sucked up by external consultants, the Public Accounts Committee to he insisted the Government knew explain the costs behind the body, about the budget breakdown from funded by the taxpayer under the the start. State gas company umbrella. The former Dublin city managMr Tierney, who earns €200,000 er, who sparked fury last week a year, insisting that, once up and when he revealed €50m had been running, the national utility will spent on outside help, said the fig- have saved the state €2billion by ure could grow to nearly €85m. 2021 and said the organisations at IT giant IBM will the centre of the conhave been paid sultants’ fees contro€44.8m by 2015, Acversy were brought centure €17.2m, Ernst in out of absolute ne& Young €4.6m and cessity. KPMG €2.2m, with a ‘These service profurther €13.3m paid viders have joined out on smaller conour team temporarily tracts between now to help us build a and then by the comhugely valuable aspany that will meter set,’ he said. and charge Irish citi- Revelations: Tierney ‘We did not bring in zens for water. experts to tell us how ‘This entire programme and as- to build Irish Water. We brought sociated budget, as well as the ap- in contractors to help us build the proach to resourcing and staffing systems and processes necessary the programme, was rigorously to run the business. This is standexamined and approved, by both ard practice in utility businesses. the internal Bord Gáis governance ‘In our case we simultaneously and approval processes, and by built five major systems and prothe relevant Government depart- cured global specialist expertise ments,’ Mr Tierney said. The Irish Water boss confirmed turn to PAGE 5
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HE’S GOT SOME NECK: A looter carries boxes of beer as a Corona truck burns in a road block allegedly set up by followers of the Knights Templar cartel in Tierra Caliente. Mexico’s government pledged to take control of the western state after days of fighting between vigilantes and members of a powerful drug cartel PICTURE: REUTERs
Keep Dublin tidy – Please recycle this Metro Herald when you are finished with it