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MLA Justin McNulty has said an audit into governance at NI Water must deliver answers over serious concerns about accountability, the management of public money and the treatment of whistleblowers. Minister for Infrastructure Liz Kimmins announced the audit following news that NI Water agreed a £250,000 bailout to bridge a contract gap after terminating the contract of a whistleblower who had raised concerns over potential fraud.
The Newry and Armagh public representative said an audit into NI Water is long overdue and that it is past time serious questions about how the organisation is run, how public money is managed and the accountability that exists within it are answered. He said that while the Minister's announcement of an audit is welcome, people deserve certainty that it will be rigorous, timebound and will not shy away from difficult questions.
He said: "At a time when NI Water requires substantial investment to enable homebuilding and economic development, people have every right to have confidence that taxpayers' money is being properly managed. We desperately need investment in water and wastewater infrastructure to unlock new homes and to stimulate economic growth.
"NI Water, however, remains a government owned company of which the Executive is responsible for. These concerns did not emerge overnight, and many have repeatedly been brought to the Department's attention. This audit cannot be used to shift the blame entirely onto NI Water. The Minister must answer for her Department's own failures of oversight and show how it intends to address the much wider crisis facing our water and wastewater infrastructure."
