1699. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of recommendations made by An Fóram Uisce to Uisce Éireann in each of the past five years; the number of recommendations that were accepted and implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56766/26]

1700. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how An Fóram Uisce has fulfilled its statutory role in representing the interests of Uisce Éireann customers in relation to water outages, boil water notices, leakage levels and infrastructure deficits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56767/26]

1701. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the mechanisms available to An Fóram Uisce to formally escalate concerns regarding recurring service failures by Uisce Éireann; whether such mechanisms have been utilised in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56768/26]

1702. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he is satisfied that An Fóram Uisce is operating effectively as an independent body overseeing and scrutinising matters affecting Uisce Éireann customers; how members of the public can raise issues with An Foram Uisce where there are repeated service failures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56769/26]

1703. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the annual funding allocated to An Fóram Uisce in each of the past five years; the measures used to assess its effectiveness; the number of staff employed by an Foram Uisce and the salary levels of staff; and if he is satisfied that the body is providing value for money for the taxpayer. [56770/26]

1705. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether concerns have been raised with his Department regarding An Fóram Uisce's effectiveness in highlighting and representing public concerns relating to water supply interruptions, wastewater infrastructure deficits and other operational failures by Uisce Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56773/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1699, 1700, 1701, 1702, 1703 and 1705 together.

An Fóram Uisce was established on a statutory basis in 2018 under the Water Services Act, 2017 and is an independent, advisory, stakeholder body representative of a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in the quality of Ireland’s water resources. The Forum currently consists of 26 members representing 16 sectors with an interest in water issues, including agriculture, environment, tourism, business, forestry, fisheries, rural water and Uisce Éireann domestic consumers.

The functions of the Forum are:

• To advise the Minister in relation to Government water policy including water conservation; rural water services; the interests of the customers of Uisce Éireann;

• To advise the Water Policy Advisory Committee in relation to the River Basin Management Plan, the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the management of the inland aquatic environment and water resources;

• To make recommendations to Uisce Éireann in relation to policy documents and the performance of its functions;

• To advise and provide observations to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities in relation to the performance of Uisce Éireann; and

• To examine other water related matters, including carrying out research to support providing advice to the Minister.

The funding to support the operation of the Forum is provided through my Department’s Vote. Details of the expenditure recouped to the Forum by my Department over the period 2022-2025 and the budget for 2026 is as follows:

This funding is governed by a Memorandum of Funding Agreement between my Department, the Forum and Tipperary County Council, who provide hosting arrangements for the Forum. The Memorandum of Funding Agreement is updated on an annual basis and sets out the governance arrangements underpinning the annual funding allocation.

In addition, and in accordance with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, a Memorandum of Understanding Agreement is in place between my Department and An Fóram Uisce. This Agreement outlines the governance arrangements relating to the Forum to ensure clarity of accountability, roles and responsibilities with a view to ensuring that the Forum discharges its statutory functions in an efficient and effective manner.

The Forum fulfils its statutory role through research, stakeholder engagement and the provision of formal policy advice. In this regard, details of the work, activities and outputs of the Forum, are available on the Forum’s website at the following link: [www.thewaterforum.ie]. Further detailed information regarding the structure and work of the Forum is set out in the Annual Reports which are available at: [www.thewaterforum.ie/publications-category/an-foram-uisce-annual-reports].

In line with the requirements of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, which provides for a framework for periodic scrutiny and assessment, my Department will shortly be undertaking a Periodic Critical Review (PCR) of An Fóram Uisce. The objective of the PCR process is to secure improvements in accountability, efficiency and effectiveness and to scrutinise objectively the case for rationalisation and consolidation of non-commercial State bodies in light of changing requirements, demands and priorities.