Beggars belief: Irish Water spent €16m on a 10 year lease of its headquarters despite the uncertainty of the company’s future – TheLiberal.ie – Our News, Your Views

Beggars belief: Irish Water spent €16m on a 10 year lease of its headquarters despite the uncertainty of the company’s future




There is more controversy surrounding Irish Water this morning after the company revealed that they spent a whopping €16m on a 10 year lease of its office buildings.

The high cost lease which was agreed after the general election will most likely cause outrage amongst those opposed to the state utility, after it was signed by top executives even though they had no confirmation on the company’s future.

According to a company spokesperson the agreement was reached on February 29th, without the approval of then Environment Minster Alan Kelly because it was an internal company matter. The massive €16m spend on the lease at Colville House in Dublin City, will raise eyebrows in the Dail over the coming days given the fact the company will soon be unable to make a profit after the recent suspension of the much hated charges.

The news of the hefty outlay was released under the Freedom of Information Act, which entitles the Irish public to view any information regarding any public or private spending of taxpayer money.

Although Irish Water say they have done nothing untoward even though there is deep concern over the cost of the lease. In a statement released last night the company say: “Twenty-nine months ago Irish Water took over the remaining term of the lease held by the previous tenant of Colville House.”

“The lease we took over ended on February 28, 2016. The end date of the lease was therefore predetermined 29 months ago. “The signing of a new lease was simply a case of Irish Water ensuring it held a current lease for the building it occupies, ie Irish Water acting like any other normal business.”

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