I propose to take Questions Nos. 433, 434, 442 and 447 together.
The Programme for Government sets out a commitment to the introduction of water charges based on usage above a free allowance. The Government considers that charging based on usage is the fairest way to charge for water and it has, therefore, decided that water meters should be installed in households connected to public water supplies. The Water Services Act 2013 provided for the establishment of Irish Water as an independent subsidiary within the Bord Gáis Éireann Group and assigned the necessary powers to allow Irish Water to undertake the metering programme.
The total number of water meter installations installed as at close of business on 12 April 2014 is approximately 185,500. My Department does not have a county by county breakdown of this figure. Irish Water has indicated that it is meeting the target of 27,000 installations per month and at least 400,000 meters will be installed by the end of this year.
Local authorities are in the final stages of a pre-installation survey of households connected to public water supplies. The survey is providing information to Irish Water on the properties that can be metered. The intention is that a meter will be installed in any household connected to a public water supply where it is technically feasible to do so. A study commissioned by Irish Water on possible approaches to metering properties that are not part of the current metering programme, including apartments and properties with shared service connections, has been recently submitted to my Department for consideration. Any proposals for the metering of such properties would need to be considered by the Government in the first instance.
As part of the metering programme, my Department, in conjunction with Irish Water, is currently working on a proposal regarding customer-side leakage, the implementation arrangements for which will have to be worked out with Irish Water. In common with meters for other utility services, the meters will be the property of Irish Water which will also be responsible for meter repair and maintenance. Section 74 of the Water Services Act 2007 provides that it is an offence to damage or otherwise impair a water meter.