Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 May 2014
145. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the way water charges will be established for those on a public water supply maintaining their own private septic tank; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20513/14]
View answerThe 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 company the necessary powers to allow it to undertake the metering programme.
The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water can collect charges from its customers in receipt of water services provided by it. It also assigns responsibility for the independent economic regulation of Irish Water to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) and Irish Water will be subject to the approval of the CER. Where a household is connected to a public water supply but is not connected to a public sewer, the household will only pay for water supply and will not be liable for charges for waste water treatment.
