Irish Water customers are unable to make complaints after it has been claimed by the Ombudsman that the Government excluded Irish Water from its remit.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on the Environment, Brian Stanley TD, said most basic queries in relation to the firm meets with a "stone wall".

Deputy Stanley said: "The company is clearly being deluged with inquiries and complaints and simply does not have the capacity to respond.

"The fact that there is no recourse to the Ombudsman compounds that, and also proves that the Government is well aware of the level of dissatisfaction with Irish Water."

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Fianna Fáil Environment Spokesperson Barry Cowen said: "It's alarming to see the Government continuing to prevent proper oversight of Irish Water. It makes you wonder what they are trying to hide, especially considering the number of complaints against the utility is on the increase. Ombudsman Peter Tyndall has pointed out that the Government decision goes against international best practice.

"Irish Water has cost the state in excess of €750m to date. This is money that could have been spent on upgrading our water infrastructure and improving other vital services. People expect proper oversight of Irish Water given the vast sums of money that have been spent setting up the superquango to date.

"The decision to only allow the regulator to deal with Irish Water complaints is unsatisfactory. Many of the complaints made to date relate to policy decisions being pushed by the regulator. People feel that their complaints are not getting proper independent investigation."

(CD/LM)