
‘Not good enough' – Uisce Éireann and eir criticised for missing Sligo meeting about Storm Éowyn
Both eir and Uisce Éireann were unable to attend this month's county council meeting, but did send briefing notes to be circulated
Both eir and Uisce Éireann were criticised for their non-attendance at a special meeting of Sligo County Council on Monday with Semi-State Organisations and Utility Providers to discuss the impact of Storm Éowyn.
The ESB and Coillte were both in attendance at the meeting, with both organisations engaging in discussion with members of Sligo County Council.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Plans for Tipperary project aimed at addressing ‘pressing community need'
Uisce Éireann have applied to Tipperary County Council for planning permission to develop a waste water treatment plant for the village of Grangemockler in the south of the county. The application before the local authority is for a 10-year permission for the development of an Integrated Constructed Wetland (ICW) type Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) for the treatment of wastewater from the Grangemockler agglomeration comprising of one septic tank and four ICW ponds. The provision of a new terminal wastewater pumping station at the site of the existing Slievardagh Estate Developer Provided Infrastructure (DPI) WWTP, which is to be decommissioned, an access road surrounding the ICW ponds, as well as the decommissioning of two existing septic tanks at Mill River and Lingaun Park, and ancillary works associated with the development including the associated pipework and pedestrian access also forms part of the development. The project will 'allow for the future population increase in the area,' planning files state. The area is currently in need of a upgraded water treatment system, with the new system aiming to provide for future growth of the village and its surrounding areas. "There is a pressing community need for the development of a WWTP and associated infrastructure for the Grangemockler agglomeration,' Uisce Éireann added. 'The construction of the proposed Grangemockler WWTP is necessary to comply with the requirements of the national and EU regulations'. Tipperary County Council are due to make a decision on the planning application by July 22.


Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
State utility firms told Minister chief executive pay limits posed ‘serious risks' to organisations
The chairs of the boards of Gas Networks Ireland (GNI), Uisce Éireann and the Land Development Agency warned last year that restrictions on pay for their chief executives posed 'real and serious risks' to the organisations. In a note to the Senior Posts Remuneration Committee, established last year, Department of Housing secretary general Graham Doyle said the boards of GNI and Uisce Éireann had also expressed 'serious concerns ... about the potential loss of the CEO at a critical time for both companies'. According to submissions sent by the department to the Government-appointed review body said the chairs of the two utility firms' boards had written to then minister for housing Darragh O'Brien about chief executive pay. This correspondence was copied to the then minister for public expenditure Paschal Donohoe , who had established the committee in March 2024 to advise on pay scales for senior public-sector jobs. READ MORE 'Attempts to improve the remuneration level have failed', the Department of Housing said in the document. It said the chief executives of Uisce Éireann and GNI had a base salary that was fixed at €225,000 with no provision for increments or indexation. [ ESB board had 'significant concern' that €318,000 salary was not sufficient for chief executive post Opens in new window ] It said within Uisce Éireann and GNI the senior management teams were entitled to performance-related awards. However, the chief executive was excluded from such payments. 'In Uisce Éireann, there are nine employees in the same band as the CEO (€225,001 to €250,000) and two employees in the final band of €250,001 to €275,000 (ie above the level of remuneration of the CEO). Currently, there are a number of executives in Uisce Éireann whose salaries are capped based on the approved headroom. This presents difficulties for key roles and for succession planning. Two executives left Uisce Éireann over the past 12 months.' It said in GNI there were also two employees paid more than the chief executive and that two executives had left the company over the previous year. Mr Doyle said when the chairs had contacted the minister 'in each case the argument has been put forward that the current constraints which exist in respect of pay pose very real and serious risks to the work of these three vitally important commercial State bodies, which are delivering critical infrastructure on behalf of the State and its citizens while, at the same time contributing to the wider economy.' He said the chairs had set out the challenges of recruiting and retaining high-calibre candidates. 'It is noted, for example, that in some cases the remuneration has remained unchanged at levels approved in early 2017, that the posts are time bound at five or seven years with no opportunity for renewal or for reappointment to any other position within the company, that taking up the position can involve the surrendering of an existing (often permanent) contract to the time-bound contract and the loss of a performance-related award, and finally, that the amount of time it can take an individual to secure employment at the end of time-bound period can, in itself, shorten the length of the actual term served.' Last month following the report of the review group, the Government signalled it would update rules to allow a 'market rate' to be paid to chief executives in commercial State companies.


Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Irish Independent
Four months on from Storm Éowyn there's still phone lines in County Roscommon not restored
Since Storm Éowyn struck on January 24, Eir has restored phone lines to over 174,000 homes and businesses. However, some premises have experienced months-long delays in having their phone and broadband services restored – including a rural school in County Mayo which had no landline for 116 days. The issue was raised in the Dáil by Roscommon-Galway TD Michael Fitzmaurice, who has called on the communications regulator to take action against Eir over the delays in restoring phone lines in his constituency. Deputy Fitzmaurice said that Eir 'should be ashamed' of how they have treated customers in Cloonfad, Ballymoe and 'a number of other areas' who are still without a landline phone service. Lamenting Eir's response to the storm, Deputy Fitzmaurice said local people in the village of Creggs had to tie a ratchet strap and ropes to secure a broken telephone line that is still 'thrown aside' four months after Storm Éowyn. 'Areas like Cloonfad, Ballymoe and a number of other areas are left devastated and without phone lines. It is not about the phone line because in some cases they have gone back and repaired the broadband, but the phone line is a lifeline to the elderly people for when you need your panic button,' he said. Deputy Fitzmaurice also called on the ComReg to start 'taking the finger out to the likes of Eir'. Replying, Tánaiste Simon Harris said that Eir had informed ComReg, that 'all storm-related repairs for the remaining affected customers' will be completed by 3 June. This, he said, excludes eleven cases where there is a third-party constraint, such as access rights, which are 'outside of Eir's control'. 'ComReg will monitor the restoration work until it is completed,' said Minister Harris. Echoing Deputy Fitzmaurice's concerns, the Tánaiste remarked: 'I do not want to say anything that cuts across the regulator, but Eir really needs to step up in how it deals with customers. I have heard this in countless locations.' ADVERTISEMENT ComReg is currently reviewing the performance of operators regarding service restoration in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn. Last week Minister for Communications, Patrick O'Donavan, and Minister for Social Protection, Rural and Community Development, Dara Calleary, convened a meeting of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Task Force. According to the Tánaiste, this meeting was attended by all mobile and fixed-network operators affected by Storm Éowyn, ComReg, and representatives of local authorities and ESB Networks. 'Knowing the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, we can be particularly sure that he expressed his frustration at the meeting regarding Eir's inability to restore services to all customers nearly 18 weeks later. It is farcical,' Mr Harris commented. The Tánaiste said Mr O'Donavan had held meetings with individual operators, including Vodafone, to address network resilience concerns. The minister is due to meet the CEO and owner of Eir shortly. Deputy Fitzmaurice said he would be amazed if all phone services are restored by June 3, which falls after the Bank Holiday weekend. He told the Irish Independent that no work had taken place on the poll near Creggs – which is still being held together with ratchet straps and ropes - since he raised the matter in the Dáil.