Fianna fil bid to stop local authorities giving tenant data to irish water

Fianna Fáil plan to publish legislation to prohibit local authorities from handing over tenant data to Irish Water without the consent of the tenant.

According to a statement released by Fianna Fáil, a number of local authorities have written to councillors recently, to advice that tenant data has been handed over to Irish Water.

Fianna Fáil also stated that the government has made it a legal requirement, under the Water Services Act 2013, for local authorities to hand over tenant data to Irish Water upon demand. According to Fianna Fáil, the proposed legislation would amend the Water Services Act 2013 to make it a legal requirement for local authorities to have the consent of the people concerned before any information is exchanged.

Fianna Fáil Deputy Sean Fleming said: “It is unacceptable that Irish Water is extracting sensitive information from local authorities without the consent of either the individual concerned or elected representatives. The situation is inherently undemocratic and the practice of handing over information without consent must end.”