A letter sent from the Central Statistics Office to Eurostat on July 25, 2015

Ken Foxe, in yesterday’s Sunday Times, reported:

“A reference to plans for the future privatisation of Irish Water was removed from a Eurostat letter explaining its classification of the water utility following a request from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The reference, which could have proved highly embarrassing to the government, was in a preliminary letter sent by the European statistics agency to the CSO last July.”

“Eurostat had, in its original letter, said the “privatisation of Irish Water is ultimately envisaged” although ownership of the infrastructure could only be changed by referendum. However, the CSO asked that the reference to privatisation be removed, according to correspondence obtained by The Sunday Times following a document request to Eurostat.”

Meanwhile, Senan Molony, in today’s Irish Daily Mail [not online], reports:

“Irish Water has declined to say how many households have cancelled their direct debits since the firm admitted fewer than half had paid the first round of bills in summer. Instead the utility is insisting new direct debits are being taken out all the time.”

“Anti-water charges activists, however, claim their sources in the company are maintaining that up to one fifth of direct debt mandates originally set up by householders are no longer functioning in relation to the second billing period.”

“Asked about a suggestion that possibly 19 per cent of direct debit mandates have been cancelled, Irish Water acknowledged customers could ‘change their minds’ but would not confirm how many cancellations have been made.”

Related: Irish Water silence on cancelled water payments (Fiachra Ó Cionnaith, Irish Examiner)