Housing Minister Simon Ceveney has appointed Independent Senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh as chairperson of the Oireachtas Water Committee.

However, Sinn Féin spokesperson on water Eoin Ó Broin said the decision appears to have been made without any formal consultation with other political parties.

He said: "Whether Fianna Fáil have signed up to this proposal is not yet clear though Mr Ó Céidigh was one of Micheal Martin's appointments to the Seanad as part of his secret deal with Enda Kenny.

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"Minister Coveney is riding roughshod over the Oireachtas Water Committee. In doing so he is demonstrating a serious dir]sregard for the Committee and for normal procedures.

"Special Oireachtas committee chairpersons are usually elected once the Committee has been established. This is what happened with the all party Health Committee and Housing and Homeless Committee established earlier this year.

"Minister Coveney has repeatedly said that he wants to build a consensus on the issue of water. He also told TDs last week during Oral Questions that the work of the Water Committee was a matter for its members and that he didn't want to be seen to be interfering its its deliberations of the report from the expert group."

(CD/MH)