Scotshouse's Brown Water Raised at Dáil Committee as Monaghan TD Challenges Uisce Éireann Chief's €118,000 Pay Rise

The plight of families in Scotshouse who have been trying, without success, to get a proper water connection was put to the head of Uisce Éireann at a Dáil committee, as Cavan-Monaghan TD Cathy Bennett challenged him over a €118,000 rise in his pay.

Chief executive Niall Gleeson and senior colleagues were before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last Thursday, 15 October, to answer questions on the utility's 2025 accounts. RTÉ reported that Mr Gleeson's overall salary rose by €118,000 to €391,953, an increase first reported in July.

"They have brown water or welled water"

According to the official Oireachtas record, Deputy Bennett, of Sinn Féin, told the committee about people "in Monaghan where I come from in Scotshouse".

"They have been trying to get water connected to their houses which is not happening. Uisce Éireann has not connected them," she said. She told the witnesses she had emailed the utility about the problem but had not received a reply, adding that as a TD she expected an answer.

"The people in Scotshouse are suffering from terrible water. They have brown water or welled water, and they cannot get Uisce Éireann to provide them with good-quality water. Something needs to change," she said, calling on the utility to make sure people in Monaghan and Cavan have access to clean water.

In a later exchange about the utility's funding, Mr Gleeson told her: "The €10 billion will go to fixing problems like the ones in Scotshouse." He did not set out a timeline for the village during the exchange.

Pay rise defended

Deputy Bennett contrasted the chief executive's increase with the much smaller rise sought by public sector workers who had been on strike the day before the hearing. "How does somebody's wage increase by €118,000 in one year?" she asked.

Mr Gleeson accepted that he was well paid. He told the committee that pay for chief executives across semi-State bodies had been independently reviewed, and that the utility's board took the recommendations and agreed a new salary level with the Minister. RTÉ reported that he said any future increases would be tied to performance. Committee chair John Brady described the pay as "extraordinary".

The TD also asked chief financial officer Chris McCarthy about his own salary. He said he had received a 3% increase but would not give the figure, telling her she could look it up. Mr Gleeson said his was the only salary in the company that had to be made public, and that the annual report sets out pay in bands.

The committee also heard that Uisce Éireann spent about €4,000 on media training to prepare staff for the hearing, which Deputy Bennett called "a joke". RTÉ and the Irish Times reported that 97% of eligible staff received performance-related bonuses for 2025, worth €17.59 million in total.

"Celtic Tiger era behaviour"

Speaking to Northern Sound on Monday, Deputy Bennett said it was "disheartening" to learn of the increase. She said she did not think people in towns "plagued by brown water or boil water notices" would agree that Uisce Éireann's top executives deserved that pay or their bonuses.

She described the rise as "more reminiscent of" Celtic Tiger era behaviour and said she would seek a justification from Minister Chambers' department the next time it comes before the PAC.

Uisce Éireann told the committee in a briefing note that it will need almost €50 billion in capital investment over the next 25 years to deal with long-standing problems in the network, including housing connections and leaks. For families in Scotshouse, the question now is when some of that money reaches them.