Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 October 2014
137. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government where the property owner's liability for leaks begins, is it at the boundary or at the meter which is on public property; during meter installation, is Irish Water required to intrude onto private property to access the stopcock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39354/14]
View answerSince 1 January 2014 Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels including the roll-out of the domestic water metering programme. Most meters for public utilities are located at the point where the connection enters the household. In the case of water services, under the provisions of the Water Services Act 2007, household pipes internal to the boundary of a property are considered the responsibility of the householder, and thus water meters are being fitted at the stopcock at the boundary of the property. As this is located on publicly accessible land, it minimises disruption during the installation programme and in terms of meter reading in due course, as access is not required to people’s homes.
Under the Water Services Act 2007, responsibility for repair and maintenance of the internal water distribution system from the main stopcock to the house and within the house rests with the homeowner. However, the Government has agreed to provide additional funding to Irish Water for their capital investment to include a free first fix scheme. Irish Water has submitted a draft first fix policy to the Commission for Energy Regulation for approval. It is understood that the CER intend to hold a public consultation in advance of a decision and implementation of this scheme in January 2015.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. They may be contacted via email at oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on 1890 278 278.
