NI Water – Page 3 – Slugger O'Toole

Serious allegations emerge from MacKenzie’s early life in Scotland

Mick Fealty on January 10, 2011, 11:06 am

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What did Conor Murphy think this morning as he read his copy of the Scottish Daily Record? If Charlie Gall is right (and so far as Slugger understands, as yet there’s been no legal challenge to what are some very grave allegations), then the Minister not only trashed the reputations of four Non Executive Directors, in order to retain Chief Executive who so spectacularly failed in the discharge of his duties over Christmas, but that man, whom his Minister fought tooth …

Professor Hillyard: “We prepared the reports and they’re still sitting on somebody’s shelf somewhere”

Pete Baker on January 7, 2011, 5:31 pm

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A timely reminder from the chairman of the Independent Water Review Panel [IWRP], Professor Paddy Hillyard, of the results of the recommendations contained in the two strands of his previous review of NI Water. From the BBC report The review was set up by the assembly in 2007 after direct rule ministers advised that water services should be privatised. Among its recommendations were that water charges should come in. [Adds – and “be clearly and separately identified on their rates bill …

Did Murphy mislead the public over ‘Golden Handshake’?

Mick Fealty on January 7, 2011, 2:38 pm

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I have to say for those neutrals in any doubt that the Minister has serious questions to answer, try Jim Allister’s rather impressive briefing on the matter. It’s appropriate I think to highlight this note of serious concern that contains at least one outstanding and highly pertinent detail of the last year in and around Northern Ireland Water: In August 2010 the Shortridge inquiry was established to investigate the Paul Priestly issue. The report has been with the Head of the …

Ministerial Responsibility? It depends on who the Minister is

Mick Fealty on January 7, 2011, 12:01 pm

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On Twitter this morning, John O’Dowd made the reasonable point that many of the calls for the Minister to resign are attempts to score political points. The proof is that few who are currently calling for the resignation seem able to say why. If you go to the Sinn Fein website you’ll see they’re scaling up the ‘this is political’ charge with a decidedly ungenerous swipe at Conall McDevitt. But if you dig a little deeper and go back to …

NI Water: How Murphy’s sackings left MacKenzie accountable directly to DRD

Mick Fealty on January 7, 2011, 9:39 am

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Fed up with drinking copious amounts of Northern Ireland Water stories on Slugger? Not as fed up as I am writing them. We kicked off back in July after that PAC when no one but the Belfast Telegraph (who have taken a ‘MacKenzie loyalist’ line throughout), whilst an industrious Jamie Delargy was working on it sub rosa at UTV was giving it anything more than a cursory glance. Six months later, a Chief Executive has gone and Regional Development, has …

Updated: “The second part of the investigation will be produced by two individuals appointed by the First Minister and deputy First Minister…”

Pete Baker on January 7, 2011, 12:37 am

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We now have the details of that “yet another expensive review” of NI Water, as annonunced by the Northern Ireland Executive. Despite concerns about the Utilities Regulator’s role expressed by, amongst others, the NI Consumer Council, that part of the review – proposed by the NI Regional Development Minister – stays in place. But they’ve added a second layer. And in time honoured fashion they don’t appear to have been able to agree to appoint a single person to review the Regulator’s review, …

NI Water: Yet another expensive review slouches into view…

Mick Fealty on January 6, 2011, 10:47 am

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So after just one year and seven months in post, the latest person to leave the shambles that is NI Water is Laurence MacKenzie. Negotiations on the exact terms of his departure only concluded at 12 Midnight last night. The final figure is thought to be about £96,000 (note, that’s not been confirmed). The Board is recommending that Trevor Hazlett, a civil engineer with 30 years experience at NI Water (and direct responsibility for industrial procurement), as MacKenzie’s replacement. Hazlett …

Regulator to head up the NI Water review…

Mick Fealty on January 5, 2011, 6:54 pm

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So the Utlities Regulator is to lead the review of NI Water. According to UTV: Following consideration of this matter I am proposing that the NI Authority for Utility Regulation – the Regulator – will conduct this review. “The Regulator is an established independent body which already has a statutory duty to regulate water and sewerage services. “It is therefore suitably qualified and has access to the range of required industry skills and expertise to conduct the review. “The Executive …

UUP publish motion of no confidence…

Mick Fealty on January 5, 2011, 6:17 pm

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So MacKenzie has finally gone (according to UTVlive). Now George Savage of the UUP is the first to get out notice of a no confidence motion. As Ken Reid has noted this evening on UTV, even if it got support from other parties it will fail without the support of Sinn Fein. Here’s the proposed wording: Pursuant to Paragraph 30 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, this Assembly endorses a Resolution of No-Confidence in the Minister for Regional Development in …

MacKenzie and Murphy: Negotiation by leak and spin…

Mick Fealty on January 5, 2011, 4:30 pm

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The one thing that will be concentrating Laurence MacKenzie’s mind today, will be his possible appearance at the Regional Development Committee tomorrow in open session. Whether he does or not is in the gift of the Minister. The question is who wants Mr MacKenzie to appear there the least, himself or the Minister? Up now though he has made it clear that rumours emanating from the Murphy appointed Board saying he has considered resigning are not true. Rather it looks …

“This minister doesn’t appear to accept any responsibility for anything”

Pete Baker on January 5, 2011, 3:35 pm

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A BBC report includes this pertinent comment from UUP MLA Fred Cobain, chairman of the NI Assembly’s Regional Development Committee, on the NI water crisis. Ulster Unionist Fred Cobain is chair of the Regional Development Committee, which is to meet on Thursday to discuss the crisis. He said “the issue rests with the minister and not Mr MacKenzie”. “At the end of the day in all of these issues the individual who leads the department is responsible and I have to …

NI Water: Any convenient ‘troubled’ port in a storm?

Mick Fealty on January 4, 2011, 10:42 pm

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Interesting quote from Liam Mulholland who in the absence of any substantial public appearance from his boss, the CEO of NI Water Laurence MacKenzie, puts the blame on the Troubles (for any foreign journalists reading, you might like to note these ‘officially’ ended back in 1994) for his company’s poor reaction to the extreme freeze thaw weather conditions of the last two weeks. The clear imputation is that politicians were to blame, even though it was Mr MacKenzie himself was so …

MacKenzie to resign

Turgon on January 4, 2011, 10:38 pm

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It is not on line yet but the BBC have just announced that Lawrence MacKenzie the chief executive of NI Water is going to announce his resignation. Presumably Conor Murphy hopes that this resignation will quieten the criticism of his handling of the debacle. It does leave Murphy’s recent claim to have confidence in MacKenzie looking a little foolish. It also brings even further into question his decision to sack the previous board of NI Water at MacKenzie’s behest. On …

Water UK: “I think they felt that the scheme was narrower than it actually was”

Pete Baker on January 4, 2011, 6:38 pm

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With a failure of communication being one of the main features of the Northern Ireland water crisis it’s worth highlighting this BBC report from last night. [Water UK Chief Executive Pamela] Taylor said the idea behind the [mutual aid] scheme was that operators could call for assistance in the event of an emergency. She said it was up to individual operators to identify the type of help needed such as tankers, bowsers or call centre staff. She confirmed that NI …

NI water crisis: “why Sinn Féin and the DUP have reacted with a mix of denial and pulpit thumping”

Pete Baker on January 3, 2011, 2:37 pm

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Via Newshound, in the Sunday Times Liam Clarke adds his thoughts on the “pulpit thumping” intervention of the OFMDFM, the possibly misplaced ministerial confidence, and the ongoing cost of Executive crowd-pleasing as the NI water crisis continues. From the Sunday Times article Murphy and his colleagues are making the most of the inherited nature of their difficulties. Yet, knowing the risks, the DUP/Sinn Féin-led administration did little to improve the situation. There was some limited investment in the water system …

NI Water late to access Water UK help

Turgon on January 1, 2011, 3:40 pm

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As the water crisis rumbles on the political arguments continue fairly unabated. The latest attacks on Conor Murphy have centred around the failure of NI Water to ask Water UK for help until yesterday. Water UK is the organisation which oversees support for UK water companies in crises. The News Letter is carrying the story today and claims that Water UK was understood to be surprised that NI Water had asked for so little help, so late. From the News …

Conor Murphy: “I do have confidence [in Laurence MacKenzie].”

Pete Baker on December 31, 2010, 4:27 pm

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Following the intervention of the First and deputy First Ministers in the Northern Ireland water crisis, a NI Executive statement was issued stating that “There was considerable anger across the Ministerial spectrum about the shambolic response of NI Water which had let down the whole community.” OFMDFM appear to be still singing from the same hymn sheet. “There has to be accountability” they both have said. Mr McGuinness said: “There has to be accountability and we are not going to under …

Beware hollow talk of a shared future in 2011

Brian Walker on December 31, 2010, 1:25 pm

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It’s progress of a kind that the Assembly leadership has survived the kind of sex and money scandals unimaginable a generation ago. Peter Robinson even looks stronger with one of his parliamentary legs cut off and Gerry Adams has departed with an air of confidence for fresh green pastures. Liam Clarke, never slow to offer constructive advice to government, offers cautious praise rare from a journalist. The Assembly is still more important for what it is than for what it does. …

Northern Ireland Water to hand £20 Million back to the department

Mick Fealty on December 31, 2010, 9:48 am

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Confirmed by Liam Mullholland on Nolan just now… John Simpson on the same show doesn’t think it is relevant to the current problems. Rather he suggests, “they are showing they can do what they need to do with less money”… That begs a question better answered when we find out just why the NI Water system appears to have collapsed… Courtesy of outter edge of the union, here’s the view of the Institute of Civil Engineers on the matter: “NIW …

NI Water: Uncancelled leave and serious management problems…

Mick Fealty on December 31, 2010, 9:24 am

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Sam McBride has an interesting snippet on staff holidays at Northern Ireland Water: When asked if NI Water holidays had been cancelled over the New Year, a spokeswoman said: “No. Staff have been asked to come in and cover so each line manager is sorting that out with their staff to see what cover we’ve got and who is available, but staff have given up their holidays already.” Mr Cobain said: “You can’t have people going on leave in this …