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Water Service Telemetry Centre

Answer

The chief executive of Water Service (Mrs. Katherine Bryan) has been asked to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question.Letter from Mrs. Katherine Bryan, dated 6 December 2005:"You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about what changes there have been in the number of staff working at the Water Service telemetry centre in Derry in each of the last three years, and what plans he has to re-locate the Water Service telemetry operations to one site (33974). I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Water Service.""Water Service has four telemetry centres, based in Londonderry, Belfast, Ballymena and Craigavon, which monitor water and sewerage installations across Northern Ireland. There has been no change over the last three years to the number of Water Service staff working in the Londonderry telemetry unit based at Altnagelvin.""Following a review of telemetry operations, Water Service decided to centralise the telemetry function on one site to achieve efficiencies and standardisation of practices. This will be introduced through a phased approach with the four units reducing to two at Londonderry and Belfast in early 2006 and centralisation on one site in early 2007. The site for the centralised telemetry operation has not yet been identified. In conjunction with this centralisation the hardware and software of the telemetry monitoring system will be upgraded.""The centralisation of telemetry services will provide significant benefits for Water Service and its customers including standardised telemetry practice, improved monitoring services and savings on manpower costs."

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

33974; 440 c1273-4W;440 c1273-4W

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Ofwat Location Staff Londonderry

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk