Government owned company Northern Ireland Water has described the reports that they have spent £16 million in six months on consultancy fees as "misleading." The company was set up in April 2007 to overhaul Northern Ireland's antiquated water and sewerage infrastructure. The alarming figures have been released by the Department for Regional Development (DRD) in response to an Assembly question from Ulster Unionist MLA George Savage.
A spokeswoman for Northern Ireland Water said £12 million had been spent on the "design and build of complex infrastructure projects." She went on to say, "It also includes fees associated with accountancy, legal, HR and other services that must be provided by external consultants. This year alone Northern Ireland Water will spend £230 million upgrading water and waste services and over the next three years £230 million will be spent through the capital works programme."
In his question to the Assembly, Mr Savage commented that the cost to the tax payer was "far too high" and that too much public money was spent on consultancy work. "I was alarmed at the answer I got, people have a right to know where and how this money is being spent."
In other water news, a report on drinking water quality published by the Northern Ireland Drinking Water Inspectorate has found that there has been significant improvement in the quality of Northern Ireland's drinking water. The figures show a 99.34% compliance at consumers' taps in 2006 compared with 99.02% in 2005.
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