A senior official at Irish Water says they are working to improve the state of Irish water schemes.

Around 20,000 people around the country are living with a warning that their mains water should be boiled before use due to the presence of bugs like E-coli and cryptosporidium.

Drinking the water can cause some side effects, but most people will not require medical attention.

The utility has come in for recent criticism over the costs of setting it up - which are almost twice the average of similar entities in England and Wales - and also for requesting the PPS numbers of children.

Yesterday, the Environment Minister Alan Kelly said it was up to his predecessor, Phil Hogan, to answer questions concerning what he knew about the €50m spent on consultants at Irish Water.

Mr Kelly was commenting on reports that his predecessor signed off on a budget breaking down the establishment costs of the utility three months before denying he knew the specifics.

Meanwhile the head of asset management at Irish Water, Jerry Grant, told the Pat Kenny Show here on Newstalk that an improved water system is a work in progress.