Irish Water to become ‘Uisce Éireann’ as a standalone national authority for water services
- Published on: 12 July 2022
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
The government this week has approved the publication of the Water Services (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022, sponsored by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien.
The Bill provides for the separation of Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) from Ervia and its establishment as the standalone national authority for water services. As part of the change the authority shall be known by its Irish name, Uisce Éireann. The Bill will be progressed through the Houses of the Oireachtas during the Autumn with a view to it being enacted before the end of 2022.
Minister O’Brien said:
“This Bill provides a significant milestone in giving effect to the Programme for Government commitment to retain Irish Water in public ownership as a national, standalone, regulated utility. I would like to thank Irish Water and its parent company Ervia, for cooperating with my department to fulfil this commitment. It is appropriate that on legal separation, Irish Water should be known as Uisce Éireann which is in the spirit of the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021.
"Separation of Irish Water from the Ervia Group is in the best strategic interests of the water services and gas networks businesses and separation will be achieved by 1 January 2023.”
Arrangements are currently underway for the printing and publishing of the Water Services (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022 and it will be available on the Oireachtas website in the coming weeks.
The Explanatory Memorandum which sets out the provisions of each section of the Bill will also be available on the Oireachtas website.
Notes
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage is the majority-shareholding Minister for Ervia, a commercial semi-state body. Ervia is responsible for delivering strategic national infrastructure in the areas of water and gas. Irish Water is currently a subsidiary of Ervia.
In July 2018, the government decided that Irish Water would become a standalone, publicly owned, commercial, regulated utility separated from the Ervia Group during 2023.
The Water Services (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022 acknowledges the character of Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) - the national authority for relevant water services functions under the Water Services Acts. The Bill which is largely technical in nature provides for:
- Irish Water to be known only as its name in the Irish language, Uisce Éireann
- the separation of Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) from the Ervia Group such that Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) will no longer be a subsidiary of Ervia
- a change in the share ownership arrangements such that shares will be held by the Minster for Public Expenditure and Reform and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage; the Minister for Finance will no longer be a shareholder
- governance arrangements for Uisce Éireann to be put on a primary legislative basis including the appointment of the CEO and Board
- enhanced accountability and auditing arrangements such that Uisce Éireann will be accountable to the Public Accounts Committee and its financial statements will be subject to a dual audit by its commercial statutory auditors and by the Comptroller and Auditor General; and
- the transfer of staff, rights and liabilities, contracts and records from Ervia to Uisce Éireann