Water Meters Issues

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 October 2013

Thursday, 10 October 2013

Questions (130)

Clare Daly

Question:

130. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in view of the earlier response this Deputy received from him, if he will clarify the accessibility features for severely vision impaired persons that were specified in the recent procurement contract for water meters; if this contract is illegal, given that it contravenes the Disability Act 2005 which states that every statutory authority has obligations to ensure that the procurement of any equipment or services intended for use by the general public must be accessible, or at the very least, consultations and a subsequent report into matters of accessibility must be concluded to show the reason such accessibility is being denied; and the action he will take regarding same. [42851/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 459 and 476 of 1 October 2013, taken together, which stated that it is a matter for Irish Water to comply with all national and European legislation in the discharge of its functions in relation to the water metering programme. This remains the position. However, Irish Water has confirmed to my Department that water metering contracts are fully compliant with the Disability Act 2005 and that the water meters in use by Irish Water comply with the Measuring Instruments Directive.

Irish Water has also informed my Department that it has been liaising with the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) with regard to any accessibility measures that need to be included by Irish Water in the wider water programme.