SDLP Mid Ulster MLA Patsy McGlone has said the long-overdue audit of governance at NI Water must deliver answers over serious concerns about accountability, the management of public money and the treatment of whistleblowers.
He also warned against a “toothless tiger” investigation and said the Executive cannot use the audit to escape its own failures of oversight. With major investment needed in water and wastewater infrastructure, Mr McGlone said the public must have confidence in how that money is managed and the Executive must address the wider crisis facing the system.
Patsy McGlone MLA said, “This announcement is long overdue. Serious questions have been raised about how NI Water is being run, how public money is being managed and the accountability that exists within the organisation. I have raised many of these issues directly with the Department and it is clear there is a huge job of work to be done internally at NI Water.
“I’m glad the Minister has finally acknowledged the scale, volume and severity of the concerns that exist. We need to know how these issues were allowed to develop and why it has taken so long to address them.
“We also need to know whether concerns raised previously, including by whistleblowers, were properly investigated and acted upon. This audit is a step in the right direction, but the terms of reference will be hugely important. We cannot have a toothless tiger investigation that skirts around difficult questions. It must follow the evidence and establish accountability where things have gone wrong.
“At a time when NI Water requires substantial investment, people have every right to have confidence that taxpayers’ money is being properly managed. We desperately need investment in water and wastewater infrastructure to unlock new homes right across the North and support our economy.
“But the Executive cannot wash its hands of responsibility for this situation. These concerns did not emerge overnight, and many have repeatedly been brought to the Department’s attention. This audit cannot be used to shift the blame entirely onto NI Water. The Executive must answer for its own failures of oversight and show how it intends to address the much wider crisis facing our water and wastewater infrastructure.”
ENDS
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