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Patsy McGlone
11th October 2010
McGlone: So many things Conor
Murphy didn’t know
SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone, who sits on the
Assembly Public Accounts Committee, said inquiries into the goings-on at NI
Water are increasingly being met with the response that Regional Development
Minister Conor Murphy didn’t know, was not aware or had not been informed,
not even when his officials were discussing water charges.
He said: “The events in and around NI Water are unprecedented, not least the
establishment of a supposedly independent Review Team, the firing of three
board members of NI Water and the suspension of Conor Murphy’s top civil
servant. But when we try to piece together what the Minister knew and when
he knew it, we are hitting some brick walls.
“It seems the Minister was unaware of email traffic between his Department
and the Review Team on the conclusions his civil servants would like the
team to reach. He was also unaware that they were suggesting the Review Team
should make recommendations to the Executive on water charges, which Conor
Murphy says he opposes.
“When the Chief Executive of NI Water wanted to resign, his officials
discussed withdrawal of the resignation with the people concerned but kept
no record of their conversations. The Chief Executive saw the first draft of
the Review Team’s report and expressed his satisfaction but the Minister
didn’t see the report.
“This is a government department in absolute upheaval – no other Permanent
Secretary has been suspended for more than half a century. Going by his
replies to my questions it certainly doesn’t sound as if he is on top of the
problem. The Three Wise Monkeys are a not good model for running a
government department. ”
ENDS
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