A Donegal County Councillor has hit out at Uisce Eireann after they were prohibited from raising local issues with the utility due to the absence of a translator.
Councillor Micheal Choilm MacGiolla Easbuig was attending a meeting with Uisce Eireann yesterday. However, he was told that he should due to the lack of a translation service, email his questions instead.
Councillor MacGiolla Easbuig says that is simply not an option for him:
In response, Uisce Éireann says it looks to support both customers and elected representatives with access to supports in Irish.
The utility adds that unfortunately they cannot guarantee the availability of an Irish speaker to support meetings and should elected representatives wish to raise queries in Irish on behalf of themselves or their constituents they encourage them to submit them in Irish by email.
Full Uisce Éireann Statement:
Uisce Éireann looks to support both customers and elected representatives with access to supports in Irish. For customers we have a dedicated Irish speaker as part of our contact centre model. Such a service is available on the Uisce Éireann customer care helpline which is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278.
Unfortunately we cannot guarantee the availability of an Irish speaker to support meetings. However, should elected representatives wish to raise queries in Irish on behalf of themselves or their constituents in relation to the delivery of water services, we encourage them to submit them in Irish by email. The Local Representative Support Desk can be contacted at localrepsupport@water.ie. We will ensure responses submitted to us in Irish are responded to in Irish.
Uisce Éireann continues to be committed to providing information that is accessible to the widest possible audience. The Uisce Éireann website is built responsively and includes functionality that allows users to translate content into almost 100 languages. Visit www.water.ie and click on the ReachDeck icon on the bottom left of the screen to select your language preference.
