AFTER THE WINTER WATER CRISIS | WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Conor Murphy speaks out

Conor Murphy, Martin McGuinness and Francie Molloy were out on the ground to meet people affected by the winter water crisis

SINN FÉIN Minister Conor Murphy is calling for changes in the way water and sewerage services are delivered in the North.
The water crisis over Christmas and New Year, which saw thousands of homes and businesses without water for days, led to many people questioning the role of the Assembly Executive and the minister’s current relationship with the company tasked with delivery, NIWater (NIW).

CONOR MURPHY spoke to An Phoblacht’s LAURA FRIEL about the winter crisis, the water service and what should happen next.

Do you think the way in which the water service is currently delivered in the North is at odds with people’s expectation of a public service?

It is clear from the reaction of many people during the crisis that they believe a key public utility such as the provision of water and sewerage services should be delivered within the public sector.
I’m sure many people were shocked to learn of the limited democratic control currently in place in relation to their water supply. As minister, I have no operational control over the running of the company appointed to the task. I believe this situation is unsustainable. The public expects democratic accountability but that’s not achievable without proper democratic control.
Water and sewerage services should be delivered by a body clearly within the public service, subject to public sector controls and standards and not set up to introduce separate water charges.
The model we inherited is at odds with the kind of public provision of water and sewerage services, which I believe most people support.

How did this model of delivery emerge?

The provision of water used to be part of the Department for Regional Development (DRD) in the same way that the provision and maintenance of roads continues to be. But, under direct rule, British ministers moved towards the privatisation of water services as a stepping-stone towards the introduction of domestic water charges. NIW was set up as a Government-owned private company. That’s the system we inherited.
While all parties in the Assembly have been consistently opposed to the imposition of domestic water charges, some have favoured the British arms-length model. I hope that those who have opposed any change to the structure of NIW in the past will now accept my argument that the organisation needs to be brought much closer to government.

So what is the remit of the water company and its relationship with the department?

Under the current arrangements, NIW owns the reservoirs, treatment works, chemicals to treat water, pumping stations and pipes to supply water to customers. It employs the engineers, support staff, call-centre operators and has arrangements with contract staff. The department doesn’t have those resources and is not in charge of them.
As minister I act as a shareholder and as such appoint people to the board of NIW. I believe the remit of the department is insufficient to allow a minister to meet public expectations of democratic accountability in relation to a key public service like the provision of water.
I have said as much on a number of occasions, most recently on December 13th 2010 in a statement to the Assembly.
I outlined proposals aimed at addressing the governance of the water industry. I proposed a review of the status of NIW and amendment of existing legislation regarding governance arrangements.
Of course, it suits some to pretend not to understand the governance arrangements that direct rule ministers created and I inherited in 2007.
It is unfortunate that some of my political opponents have attempted to exploit the hardship of ordinary people in pursuit of their own party political advantage. Cynical calls for my resignation do nothing to advance the delivery of a better water service and greater accountability.
I would like to acknowledge the hardship and misery of many people whose water supply was disrupted and others whose homes were flooded during the Christmas and New Year period. NIW has assured me that all properties have been back on supply since the second week in January, the rotation of supply has ended and the majority of reservoirs have almost returned to normal.

Most people accept that unforeseen weather conditions played their part in the crisis but are there lessons to be learnt?

Clearly there are lessons to be learnt and a number of arrangements are already in place. On January 6th, the Executive agreed my proposal for a review by the independent Utility Regulator. The regulator is to investigate the causes of the loss of water supply and examine the performance of NIW in planning and reacting to the event.
The Executive has also agreed a second strand to the review which will consider the broader governance issues, including my role and responsibilities as Minster for Regional Development. This is to be carried out by Heather Moorhead, former Chief Executive of the Local Government Association, and Philip Holder, who has 25 years’ experience in the utilities sector.

Questions have also been raised concerning the state of the infrastructure and levels of investment.

I will have invested almost £1billion in our water and sewerage infrastructure by the end of this financial year. Much of the investment has gone towards helping NIW to deliver the best drinking water that the North has ever enjoyed. Waste water treatment standards are also the best ever and overall leakage has been reduced.
Clearly more is needed to catch up for years of under-investment. Unfortunately, the availability of funding will not allow us to make all the investment that we would like over the next four years. I have already proposed that additional funding be reallocated to water and sewerage from my department budget.